Facebook Targeting Engagement Bait for Reducing ‘Like’ Spam

Facebook the popular social-networking website has engaged in non-stop monitoring of users' content to let only worthy matters remain on its space. Currently, it's trying to regulate another practice that's though not so malicious but still infuriating.

The company, of late, posted on its blog that the practice it was targeting was called 'engagement bait.' This is one kind of post which utilizes tactics involving clicks as lures that trick visitors into liking certain page's post or certain brand so as for falsely increasing its numbers.

By providing a few examples, Facebook exemplifies the meaning of "engagement bating" that also encompasses "share baiting," "react baiting" and "vote baiting." Such baits consist of posts luring readers into favoring phrases such as "Like this if you're an Aries," and "Share with 10 friends for a chance to win a new convertible."

A wider aspect about Facebook is the far spreading criticism of the website in carelessly disseminating false news at the time of 2016 cycle of election whose relevant algorithms exacerbated them while propagated incorrect political content that spread like virus.

Facebook's aim is for minimizing spammy, misleading or sensational content from proliferating. The company along with other tech firms as well disseminated misinformation following the latest shooting at Las Vegas for which their algorithms were responsible that in turn highlighted the extent of power such algorithms had managed acquiring. Fool.com posted this, December 18, 2017.

The website recently tried showing minimal click-bait headlines as well as web-links leading onto browsing experiences of inferior quality. During November 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook stated that the company was all set for initiating a war on dissemination of misinformation as was seen at the time of presidential election in USA.

The company notes that its most recent algorithm modifications will not adversely impact News Feed posts which seek advice, help or recommendations. However, soon it'll start implementing 'stricter demotions' or reduce the number of Pages which are reliant on 'engagement bait.'

The algorithm modification follows an August post asserting Facebook would address video spam's proliferation that got created for encouraging even lengthy videos for getting advertisers' favor.

» SPAMfighter News - 12/22/2017