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4 Comments / By Selma Hrynchuk / August 30, 2023 August 29, 2023
Facebook Newsfeed Limit Hoax: How It Works
There is no week without encountering a new hoax on Facebook. It is the case again. The last scam which is going around could be called the Facebook Newsfeed Limit. It comes as a post that’s being shared online by unsuspecting users. The message arguably comes as an official announcement from the Facebook headquarters (or reposts from other users), informing that the platform’s algorithm is now limiting your newsfeed to a group of only 25 friends. The number could vary.
If you think about it, it seems that there is always the same group of people that engage with one’s activity. You probably noticed that on your feed, too. The likes, reactions, and comments tend to come most of the time from a limited group of users and not from a whole variety of friends.
So what’s the hoax about?
The Never-ending Mistake: Copy and Paste
Here is how it works. To fix the algorithm’s selective behavior, Facebook users are encouraged to copy and paste the text of the deceptive post onto their timeline. As many people want their posts to be seen by everyone, there is no surprise that they all want to bypass the system. Therefore, they do what the tricksters are asking: sharing fake information.
Below is what the hoax post looks like, so you know what to expect. There are also variations of it, but let’s see if you spot the red flags:
- “It works!! I have a whole new news feed. I’m seeing posts from people I haven’t seen in years. Here’s how to bypass the system FB now has in place that limits posts on your news feed. Their new algorithm chooses the same few people – about 25 – who will read your posts. Therefore, hold your finger down anywhere in this post, and “copy” will pop up. Click “copy.” Then go your page, start a new post and put your finger anywhere in the blank field. “Paste” will pop up and click paste. This will bypass the system. If you are reading this message, do me a favor and leave me a quick comment…a “hello,” a sticker, whatever you want, so you will appear in my newsfeed. It WORKS!! I have a whole new news feed. I’m seeing posts from people I haven’t seen in years.”
When someone asks you to do them a favor and copy and paste this kind of post, you can rest assured that there is just a hoax.
Why You Don’t See All Your Friends’ Posts
While it’s true that Facebook users don’t see all the posts of their friends at once, it is because the algorithm selects in general people they interact most with – but there is not a particular limit, and nobody is blocked. It is just physically impossible to have hundreds of posts displayed on one wall at the same time.
If you have a small number of friends (say, 50 to 200), it is possible to see all the posts, since not everyone is posting daily or weekly. However, if you never interact with someone on Facebook by liking their posts, commenting, or sharing them, the algorithm will judge that you are not really interested in their activity. As a result, Facebook stops placing that friend’s posts in your newsfeed after a while.
As you can imagine, this is why you have friends on your list whose posts never show up in your newsfeed.
How Can You See All Posts
To conclude with the Facebook Newsfeed Limit scam, just because you never see a user’s posts doesn’t mean that your friend didn’t make the cut for the all-star group of 25 users that Facebook hoax claims to exist. It means that you did not interact enough with that person’s posts. However, now that you know this, you may ask yourself, ‘how can I see EVERY post from a particular Facebook friend?’ It’s simple.
If you have people on your list that you’d like to their posts all the time, you need to type their name in the search box, and when their profile appears, click the three dots beside the Friends tab (see above).
Once the drop-down menu opens, click Get Notifications. That’s it – you will see every single post when they do it.
Alternatively, you can visit their timeline and interact with one or two of their posts by liking them, commenting on them, or sharing them. The algorithm will pick up the engagement and will most likely (but not guaranteed) show their future posts on your newsfeed.
Also, watch the video below to see how you can change your Facebook settings to see your friends’ recent posts:
How To Report the Facebook Scams
Let your family and friends about the Facebook Newsfeed Hoax by sharing this article on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the Facebook scammers to the platforms’ admin and the Federal Trade Commission using the links below:
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