FILE - In this April 18, 2017, file photo, conference workers speak in front of a demo booth at Facebook's annual F8 developer conference in San Jose, Calif. Facebook said Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018, that it is tweaking what people see to make their time on it more “meaningful.” The changes come as Facebook faces criticism that social media can make people feel depressed and isolated. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
It’s easy to imagine that powerful technology companies are all-knowing geniuses. Often, though, technology superpowers are merely a collection of mortals making best guesses in response to external threats or backlash. And when that doesn't work, they try something else.
That's a useful framing to understand the shake-up Facebook Inc disclosed last week. The company is trying to change behaviour so people engage in less aimless scrolling through their streams of posts and more meaningful interaction. Only time will tell whether Facebook's changes will achieve the company's goals and whether its goals are worth pursuing.
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