Facebook’s Low Notification Approach Seems to Be Working

We’ve all been faced with apps that send us notification after notification, and it turns out that that might make users less likely to open the app with all things having been considered and taken into account. Meta has recently been conducting an experiment wherein the tech juggernaut sent fewer notifications to Facebook users. The results of this experiment are now out, and they show some interesting facts about social media usage as well as the direction in which Facebook might be headed in the near future.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that decreasing notifications had a twofold effect. Firstly, it meant that users spent less time on the app. That is a pretty obvious reaction, but one thing that was somewhat more surprising was that users also preferred not getting as many notifications.

Hence, even though it can decrease usage time, fewer notifications can lead to higher levels of satisfaction than might have been the case otherwise. That might be a key element to stopping the mass migration of users away from the platform. This is also a bit of an about face for Meta, since the platform has historically wanted to drive obsessive usage no matter the cost.

• Also read: Meta And Apple Fall Off Glassdoor’s List Of Best Workplaces For The First Time In 10 Years

The bet that Meta is making is that improving user satisfaction across the board will lead to better metrics in the long run. That is actually pretty surprising because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up ruining Meta’s metrics in the short run. It’s great that Meta is adopting a long term approach, and it may make for a much healthier social media platform.

While this might not be enough to stop the flood of users exiting the platform, it is a definite step in the right direction. Meta is also trying to tread the line between too many notifications and too few. After all, many users rely on notifications to tell them when their favorite content is ready for them to watch.

Finding a balance is key here. Users that are bombarded with notifications may end up switching them off entirely, that will not be conducive to Facebook getting back on track. With economic sentiments looking dire, it appears that Facebook is trying to do what it can to save the sinking ship.

Advertisers are hesitant to work with a platform that doesn’t have the trust of its users, no matter how many users it might actually have. The results of this experiment could lead to Facebook making some truly innovative changes down the line regarding their notifications.

Read next: What Countries Offer the Cheapest Mobile Internet?
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World