Mark Zuckerberg Promises More Facebook Changes on the Way

Mark Zuckerberg promised Facebook users that they’d be seeing changes to how their news feed prioritizes posts in a press release back on Jan. 11. But in the fourth quarter earning meeting, the social network CEO promised even more changes.

According to The Wrap, Zuckerberg said a “series” of changes would cut down on what he considered to be “passive experiences” like watching viral videos, and rather encourage interaction with Facebook friends.

“When you see a photo from a friend in News Feed, that’s not just content that makes you smile or laugh,” Zuckerberg said. “It’s an opportunity to connect with that friend, to reach out to them and remind them that you care about each other. That connection is deeply important to us as people.”

He also hinted at the social scrutiny leveled at the site following its role in the 2016 presidential election.

“The world is anxious and divided and that played out on Facebook… we have a responsibility to fully understand how our services are used and to do everything we can to amplify the good, and prevent the harm,” Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg said in his original press release earlier in the month that the social network is aiming to get ot its roots of interaction with friends and family rather than a delivery service for news.

“We built Facebook to help people stay connected and bring us closer together with the people that matter to us,” Zuckerberg wrote. “That’s why we’ve always put friends and family at the core of the experience. Research shows that strengthening our relationships improves our well-being and happiness. But recently we’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other.”

His original statement caused Facebook’s stock to drop four percent that following day, and the company could lose up to $23 billion if investors remain unsure of the companies new direction.

Photo: Twitter/@ReutersTech