By Naseera Hidayathullah, Monisha Kishin, Shane Carroll

Facebook Introduces “Why Am I Seeing This Ad?” Option For All News Feed Posts

Better late than never – Facebook has now introduced a ‘Why am I seeing this ad?’ option to increase their transparency between their users. To come back from Facebook’s horror run in recent years, this new tool leads to a greater transparency shift, providing even more ways for users to understand the platform.

This option will give users a more technical insight into the workings of its News Feed algorithm, and why they’re seeing specific content, such as whether the ads were followed by a connection or from a user who regularly interacts with it. Moreover, it also provides more control for users by allowing users to avoid data misuse – blocking or reporting ads when they suspect their information has been used without their permission.

Though there are still arguments on the necessity of News Feed, this is a step forward to a more transparent social media experience.



Facebook Expands Ad Archive to all Ads and Pages

Expanding on its political ad archive launched last October, Facebook has announced it will expand its “Ad Library” [previously known as Ad Archive to U.S. users] to include all Ads and Pages , not just those with political affiliations.

Users can explore the Ad Library, with or without a Facebook account, which provides access to a comprehensive, searchable collection of all ads currently running or those that have been run from across Facebook and/or Instagram. Users do not have to be part of an advertiser’s intended audience to be able to view active ads. Simply enter a name, topic or organization into the search bar and be presented with a list of relevant matches – with the option to filter down to brand/individual/topic listing. There’s also an option to choose a region filter from the top right, and relevant regional variants will be highlighted.

While the primary purpose of the “Page Transparency” section of every Page is to prevent political misuse or general manipulation – the broader implications include value for digital marketers who now can gain knowledge and insight into their competitors’ marketing efforts on Facebook.


Instagram Stories Tests A New Camera Format

Is Instagram Stories due for a facelift? A new interface was spotted on the app, making use of a selector wheel and harkening back to the traditional camera. While all the options and modes we’re familiar with are still there, they appear to have been rearranged into three main categories, which may need users to scroll a little more than they’re used to.

For now, this format appears to still be in testing mode, with no indication of when it is due to officially launch.