Some user interactions may be assigned a higher weight and/or rating than other user interactions, which may afect the overall afinity. For example, if a user emails another user, the weight or the rating for the interaction may be higher than if the user simply looks at the profile page for the other user. (Bosworth and Cox, 2013: 6)
There is a certain circular logic embedded in the algorithm. In order for you to like or comment on a friend’s photo or status update, they have to be visible to you in the first place. Any time a user interacts with an edge, it increases his or her afinity toward the edge creator. For instance, we can assume that comments outweigh “likes” as they require more individual efort. The system assigns ratings and weights to the activities performed by the user and the relationships associated with the activities. Many diferent variables may be used to assign weight to edges, including the time since the information was accessed, the frequency of access, the relationship to the person about which information was accessed, the relationship to a person sharing common interests in the information accessed, the relationship with the actual information accessed (Bosworth and Cox, 2013: 5). In deciding what stories to show users first, Facebook also prioritizes certain types of content over others. For example, content items related to so-called life events such as a weddings, the birth of a child, geting a new job, or moving across the country may be “prioritized in a ranking of news feed stories selectively provided to users to ensure that the most relevant information is consumed first” (Luu, 2013: 2). The weight given to certain types of edges, moreover, is likely to depend on the internal incentives that Facebook may have at any given point in time. If the objective for Facebook is to promote a certain product—for instance, the “questions” or “places” feature, interactions with these features will probably be ranked higher than others. This is understandable. News feed is the best way to increase awareness of new (or neglected) features and functionalities.
Life at the Top
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