Chronological feeds in Facebook and Co.

The home pages of almost all social networks do not display followers' posts in chronological order, i.e. sorted by publication time. Instead, an algorithm selects the content that the account sees in the feed. This selection is based on the content that the user has viewed more or less often in the past and whether they have liked it.

But this arbitrariness is not necessarily the case, because with just a few clicks users can at least partially arrange the posts in chronological order.

Facebook

Facebook is a pioneer when it comes to algorithm recommendations. Back in 2010, the parent company Meta began organizing the feed based on the number of likes and not the time of publication.

At least temporarily, it is still possible to arrange the content chronologically.

• Android: To do this, click on the sandwich menu in the top right corner, then on the “Feeds” icon
• IPhone: You can find the “Feeds” menu item in the bottom bar of the home page. This Feeds tab displays the latest posts from followed people, groups, or pages.
• Browser: Click on the sandwich menu in the top right corner, then click on the “Recents” icon. If you want to go from the time-ordered feed back to the algorithmically curated one, click on “Back to top posts”.

Instagram

Currently, around 15 percent of posts on Instagram are controlled by artificial intelligence. The Meta subsidiary would like to double this share by the end of 2023. To the chagrin of many users who don't think much of Instagram's copycat maneuvers.

However, there has been a simple walkaround for these users since February of this year:

• Android and iOS: Click the Instagram logo in the top left corner of the homepage. A drop-down menu opens in which you can select the “Followed” option. A separate chronological feed will then open.

The disadvantage is that this setting is not saved permanently and has to be reselected after closing the app.

Twitter

Similar to Instagram, there is also an option to display a chronological timeline.

• Android, iOS, and web browsers: Click the star icon in the top right corner of the screen and select “Show most recent tweets instead” from the drop-down menu that opens. The posts are then permanently sorted by publication date. The setting can also be undone in the same menu item.

If you generally want your posts to be available chronologically (without settings) and are already skeptical about Elon Musk's innovations, you can consider switching to the Mastodon . Because there is no algorithm that organizes the feed; it is sorted solely by appearance.

TikTok

The newer app TikTok is known for a “captivating” algorithm that keeps its users on the platform for hours. It's almost tempting to "swipe" a short clip further and see what comes next. This unique selling point is definitely worth mentioning, because there is no setting on either the “For you page” or the “Following page” that allows videos to be sorted by their publication date.

The only thing left for users to do is go to individual accounts and browse the TikToks there, because they are always displayed here according to the time of publication. You can also activate push notifications so you don't miss your fan's latest video.

Youtube

Compared to TikTok, YouTube is probably the easiest way to watch videos in sequential order.

• Android, iOS and browser: You just have to click on the “Subscriptions” field (browser: on the left side; smartphone: on the bottom right).

The videos can now be sorted as desired because the algorithm has no influence on the subscription feed. 

Source:

Futurezone

Also read our fact checks:
Does Elon Musk now also want to buy Meta?
No! The young person dancing in front of the swastika in Ukraine.
Zillertalbahn electric bus charged with a diesel engine?
Yes, as a test!