Facebook is Preparations for adapting the news feed to devalue political posts and current affairs, but news reader Flipboard is releasing an update instead, giving users control over their own feeds. The company announced this morning the introduction of a new controller on the cover of its own main news feed, also known as the “For You” feed, which now allows users to pick and choose new topics to follow and from Pick up topics they no longer want to hear. The function that Flipboard calls the “antidote to” Doom scrolling“Allows users to customize their For You feed to provide a wider variety of stories related to their various interests, rather than focusing on breaking news and politics on their home page.
Given today’s events – a protracted pandemic, forest fires and major storms caused by climate change, the fall of Afghanistan and other disasters – it’s no wonder people want to take a break from the daily news. But for Flipboard, this trend could also mean less usage of its news-reading app.
But while Flipboard finds that millions are using its app to keep up with current stories and politics, a large portion of its user base also spends their time on other topics – like travel, food, photography, fitness, and parenting.
By introducing tools to allow users to customize their own feeds, the company believes that not only will users see improved mental health, but they will also spend longer on the Flipboard app. This already seems to be true based on other recent changes Flipboard has made.
The company recently introduced Theme personalization functionsthat allowed users to focus on more niche interests – think, not just Cook but Keto Cook; not only Bless you, but Mindfulness and sleep, for example. Users who customized their preferences spent an average of between 9 and 12 minutes a day reading stories on these topics, Flipboard found.
With the introduction of For You newsfeed controls, Flipboard aims to bring a similar level of customization and control to users’ own homepages.
The company said the feature also addressed the most important request from users – they asked to have more control over the content choices on their For You feed.
To use the feature, look for the new filter switches at the top of the main page. After tapping the icon, a window will open where you can tap and untap a range of topics. You can also use the search bar to discover other interests that may not be listed. When you’re done customizing, just tap Save to return to your newly customized feed for you.
Flipboard hopes its customization skills will help it stand out from other news reading experiences – whether it be browsing news on social media feeds or even specialty news reading apps.
“This level of content control is unique to Flipboard; Just think how difficult it is to customize your feed on another platform, “said Mike McCue, CEO of Flipboard, at the launch of the update. “A highly personalized feed allows people to focus on the things that matter to them without being distracted by doom scrolling, misinformation, or rummaging through other people’s lives. We are building a platform that enables people to take control of their media consumption instead of letting it control them, ”he added.
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