Facebook is making it easier to choose what we see in our newsfeeds and says it is allowing users to quickly switch to a chronological newsfeed, instead of seeing content that is selected and ordered by an algorithm.

In an announcement on March 31, the social media network said users can now also decide to see posts from a favourites list of up to 30 Facebook friends and pages.

When creating a new post, meanwhile, you can now say whether you want all or just your own friends to be able to comment on your post.

The newsfeed changes come after years of debate surrounding the algorithmic sorting of content on Facebook.

Critics warn that the automated selection leads to so-called filter bubbles, through which users only see one-sided information that corresponds to their own views. Facebook says this is not the case.

The move also comes after renewed condemnation of the social media giant’s newsfeed after Netflix’s 2020 documentary The Social Dilemma dramatised the impacts of algorithms designed to keep users engaged.

The algorithms are based, among other things, on what topics a user was most recently interested in, who he or she interacted with on the platform and where he or she is currently located.

 - dpa