Facebook changes its metrics for posts; Instagram enlarges photos

Facebook announced changes to its algorithm, which would boost the reach of posts that users spend the most time viewing, including ‘Instant Articles.’

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According to Facebook software engineers Anasha Yu and Sami Tas, the algorithm takes into account how long a user spends reading a post, but it takes a sophisticated approach to the idea.

To account for things such as Internet speed or website glitches, the team will look at how many people spent a significant amount of time on a certain post. A Facebook spokesman also told Quartz that the team can tell whether a user is actively looking at Facebook as opposed having the site open in a background window or tab.

Yu and Tas further explain in a post on Facebook’s newsroom:

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