As a social network, Facebook can be a great place to explore more of the web you've never explored. While there are indeed many interesting links to choose from, many of them are actually links that direct users to ad-filled spam websites.
Users will hate seeing those pages. And what users hate, Facebook is also hating it.
On May 10th, 2017, Facebook updates its News Feed's ranking algorithm with the help of artificial intelligence so users would see fewer posts "that link to these low-quality web page experiences."
This is inline with its effort to fight fake news, spam and misinformation, as well as to crack down on "click farms" that aim to generate revenue from users linking to websites.
According to Facebook:
"If we determine a post might link to these types of low-quality web pages, it may show up lower in people's feeds and may not be eligible to be an ad," the blog post from researchers Jiun-Ren Lin and Shengbo Guo said.
"This way people can see fewer misleading posts and more informative posts."
While Facebook stated that its platform didn't play a major role in influencing people, has argued the platform did not play a major role in influencing voters. it has came under criticism for its role in the spread of misinformation during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.
With almost 2 billion users worldwide, it's easy to blame the social media behemoth.
The change to Facebook's News Feed is a small one. But anything that can show less spam is indeed a worthy move.