I haven't done any statistical analysis, but I would guess that on some days as little as 50% of the content in my newsfeed is actually useful. Other days it may be as high as 90%. Just think, on some days the lock screen and home screen on my Facebook phone would be half full of rubbish.
What rubbish you may ask. Well, there are posts that are simply not true, such as a big post today that someone shared. It tells people how to survive a heart attack when you are alone by coughing. It's a hoax. Google it. Recently a fake posting appeared in my newsfeed that looked like it was by Samsung and that 5000 Galaxy S4 phones were being given away to people that like the page. It's a scam. It's not real. Another recently shared image that appeared in my news feed was a Hollywood actor with the words M***** F***** in something like 48 point bold type overlaid on it so you couldn't miss it. Recently an illegal photo appeared in my news feed that had been banned by the UK courts from appearing in print and online (it identified a person the courts said must not be identified).
It's not just content from other people, but adverts too. Facebook suggests things I might like (I rarely do), and shows sponsored posts I have no interest in. Friends advertise or promote things I have no interest in too. For example, they may own or work for a company and when the company launches a new product or service, they like the Facebook page and it appears in my news feed. I have no interest in the latest washing machines or the latest meal deal at a pub 200 miles away that would take me four hours to drive to. (You know who you are.)
Facebook also suggests people you may know and encourages you to make friends with them. Among the suggestions on my Facebook home page today were 15-year-old girls (I'm a 50+ year old male). How? Well, I have a teenage nephew who has teenage friends, so Facebook thinks I should make friends with them.
Picture this scenario: You're in a busy Starbucks getting a coffee. You get your phone out and switch it on and the lock screen has an image with M***** F***** emblazoned across it. You go to the home screen and the wallpaper is an illegal image. There are links to contact teenage girls. Oh, and the guy right behind you in the queue looking over your shoulder is an off-duty cop getting a coffee. Doh!
I'm not making this up. These examples are real posts in my Facebook feed. Some people believe everything that is posted on Facebook and share it to everyone they know. Some people think adding swear words to things makes them funny. Some people are taken in by scams.
As I said, sometimes 50% of my newsfeed is junk that I don't want to see. Facebook is for broad minded adults only and is not for general consumption. I don't want to live in the Facebook world and it certainly isn't suitable for lock screens and home screens on mobile phones.
I've actually cut down on Facebook usage, even to the point of disabling notifications on my phone and tablet. This is mainly because of the junk in the news feed. However, occasionally there are great posts - photos, news and other posts from friends and family. The occasional interesting post and useful message that I wouldn't otherwise see will prevent me from quitting Facebook altogether, but the real world is nothing like how Facebook imagines it in its presentations where every photo is taken by a professional photographer and comments are funny and/or interesting.
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