A Danger to Liking Everything?

Showing support? Like.

Think something is funny? Like.

Wish your cat looked as funny as that one? Like.

It’s so easy for us to like just about anything and everything on Facebook. Yet, there can be a negative to this, as Adam Oram noted while talking about an article by Mat Honan at Wired:

By reinforcing the Facebook algorithms via likes, you end up begin presented with more of the same. Your Facebook News Feed becomes increasingly niche as you continue to express an interest in the same things through your liking behavior.

As we know, Facebook provides a catered news feed based on what you view and what you like. (( “How does this algorithm work? Backstrom explained that factors include: how often you interact with a friend, page or public figure; how many likes, shares and comments individual posts have received; how much you have interacted with that kind of post in the past; and whether it’s being hidden and/or reported a lot.” –The Guardian )) But what will Facebook create for you?

Not only can you create a news feed that interests you, but you can also create one that overwhelms you with information, or one that even can reinforce your bad behavior.

Check out the rest of Adam’s article to read more about the potential impact your likes can have.