Google Are Creating a News Feed to Outmatch Facebook

Webware.io

Google may still have yet to put their name to a successful social media platform, but even without one, they've found plenty of ways to rival all the big hitters. Facebook have tried to act as arch-nemesis to almost every other major platform out there, but it could be argued that Google is their true adversary, and the giant they need to bring down if they ever really want to monopolise the internet.

Even without a social network, Google remains the dominant news resource, and now they're making it even better by bringing in a news feed to rival and even perhaps outmatch Facebook's. Once introduced, the feed will appear in Google's apps next to the search function, before eventually being introduced to the browser search page itself. It will take into account every single bite of data Google have gathered, as well as the implications of said data, big and small.

Facebook might know a lot about you, but in many cases and in many areas Google still knows more. What you search for is often more telling than how quickly you scroll, which brand pages you visit or which ads you click. Add to that all the other sites and applications Google owns and you have a terrifyingly comprehensive activity monitor, one which has the potential to deliver a truly tailor-made news feed.

Recently, Facebook have received far more criticism than praise for their news feed, largely owing to the fact that it continues to deliver fake news stories, but also because it works with a range of parameters which some argue have resulted in an 'echo chamber' which limits people to the things Facebook things they want to see. It's an easy cycle to break out of, it just requires a slightly more active approach to Facebook, but since Google is already a more active experience than Facebook, they may sidestep this issue entirely.

It won't just be the headline though, Google are proposing a kind of card-based feed featuring news stories, new videos, recipes and anything else it thinks you might be interested in based on search history and all the other aforementioned parameters. Think of it as your one-stop shop for all things Google related. If this sounds familiar, it's because Google have tried it before, in the form of 'Google Now', but it didn't take.

Google have a habit of bringing out new features and applications which fall flat on their faces, but in this case, they're claiming that the interface has become so intelligent that it can figure out not only what you're interested in, but why you're interested it, thus differentiating between more than just categories. If you're actively doing something, like planning a party, Google will figure it out and start showing you relevant links, for example.

We won't see any of this until later this year, and Pixel users will be the first to really get to grips with it. It probably won't lure anyone away from Facebook, but it may force them to further rethink their approach to news delivery.

Callum Davies

Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @Songbird_Callum

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