Tweaked Trending Topics Now Show Stories by Region.
Laura Sydell, NPR, reporting on Facebook’s recent change to its Trending topics algorithm:
As of Wednesday, the company has once again changed its trending algorithms. Personal preferences are now out of the equation. “Facebook will no longer be personalized based on someone’s interests,” Facebook says in a press release. “Everyone in the same region will see the same topics.” For now, a region is considered a country, so everyone in the U.S. should see the same topics.
Considering how individualized Facebook attempts to make its products, this is a huge pivot for Trending topics. Although region-based topics are the big story here, the Trending section will also now display the original headline and originating source for every story. Good stuff.