Facebook keeps on experimenting with its newsfeed. The new Facebook looks nothing like the first version that Zuckerberg created in 2004. The Facebook newsfeed algorithm has consistently evolved over the years. The recent addition was the Facebook reaction button. The algorithm harnesses information about your interests from the Facebook reactions to show more user specific content. Facebook is now testing another rocket ship icon, and the users seem confused about its function.
People took to Twitter to ask what the icon meant.
https://twitter.com/themiliponce/status/847418275168370688
Rocket icon? ? Hints, anyone? #facebook #icon @facebook pic.twitter.com/v9TLkmYmsv
— alice baraldi (@alice_ba) February 26, 2017
The rocket ship icon is a second News Feed that Facebook is testing. It will feature content based on your likes, dislikes, interests, and the posts popular with your friends.
Discovery of new sources via FB's algo -> Facebook tests a second News Feed marked by a rocket ship icon https://t.co/qKEIKOlTQu pic.twitter.com/kN4ZG0musH
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) March 30, 2017
Facebook said that users have demanded more ways to discover content on the social network and the new News Feed is being tested in response to that. A Facebook spokesperson said, “We are testing a complementary feed of popular articles, videos, and photos, customized for each person based on the content that might be interesting to them. We’ve heard from people that they want an easy way to explore new content they haven’t connected with yet.”