Every time you scroll through Facebook, do you feel like your news feed is becoming more like an online marketplace than a place to connect with friends? Dozens, even hundreds, of Facebook ads pop up, overwhelming the content you actually care about. You ask yourself, “Why is my Facebook feed all ads and suggested posts?”. This isn’t just happening to you; it’s a common question for many other users as well. So what is the reason my Facebook feed is flooded with ads and suggested posts? This blog post will help you answer all your questions about this issue, and you won’t feel annoyed when scrolling through your Facebook feed anymore.
This article will not only help you understand the root cause of this situation but also explore why my Facebook feed is dominated by ads and how you can take back control of your experience.
Why is my Facebook feed all ads?
Have you ever wondered why every time you open Facebook, instead of seeing your friends’ photos, you get “attacked” by a series of ads from cosmetics and clothes to online courses? You are not alone. The Facebook feeds of millions of users worldwide are increasingly becoming an “ad swamp.” This phenomenon is not random, but rather the result of a series of strategies implemented by Facebook and its advertisers.
Facebook personalizes ads using your data
The core reason why your feed is flooded with ads is Facebook’s business model. The platform makes money primarily from advertising, and to make ads effective, they need to understand you. Every action you take on Facebook, from which pages you like, what posts you comment on, to which groups you visit, is collected and analyzed. Even activities outside of Facebook, such as your browsing history or online shopping, are tracked through their tools.
When you interact with content related to travel, Facebook “learns” that you are interested in this field. This data will be used to create an “interest profile” about you. Advertisers, instead of displaying their products randomly, will use this exact profile to target you precisely. This is why if you search for a pair of sneakers on Google, ads for similar sneakers will immediately appear on your Facebook feed. This is an extremely effective mechanism from a business perspective, but it brings an uncomfortable experience for users.
Big advertisers pay to appear more often
Not all ads have the same “opportunity.” In the race for a position on your feed, advertisers with larger budgets will always have the upper hand. They are willing to spend more money for their ads to be displayed more frequently and repeatedly. This explains why you might see the same product appear continuously for a few consecutive days, even if you don’t have any interaction with it. This fierce competition turns your feed into an advertising battlefield, where your friends’ posts are gradually overwhelmed.
The algorithm prioritizes ads when you interact less
The Facebook algorithm is a complex machine, designed to keep you on the platform for as long as possible. However, if you are a “silent” user—just scrolling and not frequently interacting (commenting, liking, sharing) with your friends’ posts—the algorithm will have a different approach.
When you don’t interact much with personal posts, the algorithm will understand that you don’t really care about that content. Instead of continuing to show your friends’ posts that you don’t interact with, the algorithm will “bet” that you might like ad content more. These ads are often designed to attract attention and stimulate purchasing behavior. Therefore, the less you interact with friends, the more likely you are to become a potential target for a series of new ads.
Facebook is increasing ads to compensate for revenue
In recent years, Facebook has faced many major challenges, from competing with new platforms like TikTok to changes in privacy policies on mobile operating systems like iOS. This has directly affected their advertising revenue. To compensate for this decline, Facebook has had to increase the frequency and number of ads displayed to each user.
In 2022, Meta (Facebook’s parent company) reported a continuous decline in ad revenue for three consecutive quarters. This is a clear sign of the financial pressure they are under. To maintain growth and profitability, “leveraging” the ad space on your feed is one of the most urgent and effective solutions. In short, your Facebook feed being increasingly flooded with ads is not just a personal problem, but also a clear reflection of the business situation and strategy of one of the world’s largest technology corporations.
Solutions to help your Facebook feed become “cleaner”
If you’re tired of your Facebook feed being flooded with ads, you don’t have to accept this reality. While you can’t eliminate ads, you can still apply some effective methods to improve your experience, helping your feed return to its original purpose: connecting with friends and family.
Adjust ad preferences and filter your feed
One of the most effective ways to reduce the appearance of ads is to proactively adjust your personal settings and how you view your feed. Facebook provides a number of options for you to control the content, but many users don’t know or haven’t used them.
This is a useful feature, but it is often overlooked. The default Facebook feed (also known as the Home Feed) is where everything is displayed: from posts by your friends, pages you follow, groups you join, to dozens of sponsored ads. However, Facebook has a separate feed just for friends, which helps you easily focus on the people who matter.
To access this feed, you can follow these steps:
- On the mobile app (iOS/Android): Tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines). Here, you will see the Feeds section. Tap on it.
- On desktop: Click See More in the left sidebar to expand the options, then find and click on the Feeds section near the top.
Once you are in Feeds, you will see a feed that focuses on the people you are following. In the top bar, there are many choices like Friends, Groups, Favorites, Pages, etc. you just need to select the Friends option. Although ads (sponsored posts) will still appear, the frequency will be significantly reduced compared to the main feed. This helps you easily view your friends’ posts without being bothered by ads.
Use Ad-Blocking Tools
If you mainly use Facebook on a computer, ad blockers are an extremely effective “weapon.” Although ad blockers for mobile phones are still limited and not really effective on the Facebook app, they work very well on web browsers.
Ad-blocking tools like AdBlock Plus, uBlock Origin, or AdGuard can be easily installed as an extension on popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge. When activated, these tools will automatically detect and block ad scripts, which makes your feed “cleaner” and loads faster. The only limitation is that they are only effective when you access Facebook through a browser on a computer.
Increase interaction with friends and content you love
This is not just a technical solution, but also a way to “train” the Facebook algorithm. As mentioned in the previous article, the algorithm will prioritize ads if you interact less. Therefore, the most effective way to change that is to do the opposite.
Take the time to like, comment on, and share posts from friends, family, or pages that you are truly interested in. When you do this regularly, the algorithm will realize that you are interested in this content. As a result, it will prioritize displaying posts from friends and related pages, while reducing the frequency of unnecessary ad appearances. This not only helps you reconnect with people but also brings a more meaningful feed, true to the original purpose of a social network.
By combining these methods—from proactively adjusting settings, using ad-blocking tools on your computer, to changing your interaction habits—you can take back control of your Facebook feed and turn it into a more personal space, instead of an ad “swamp.”
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The reason is due to Facebook’s retargeting mechanism. When you search for products on Google or other websites, these pages often have Facebook’s tracking tool installed, called the Facebook Pixel.
+) How it works: The Facebook Pixel records your behavior (for example, you viewed a pair of sneakers). This data is then sent to Facebook.
+ Ad display: Based on that data, advertisers can create ad campaigns that target people who have shown interest in their products.
+ Purpose: In this way, ads will be displayed on your feed, “reminding” you about the product you viewed, and encouraging you to go back and complete the transaction. This is an effective strategy from a business perspective, but it can sometimes be annoying for users.
Facebook uses a lot of data to personalize ads, including:
+ Actions on Facebook: The pages you like, the posts you interact with (like, comment, share), and the groups you join.
+ Actions outside of Facebook: Your browsing history, the apps you use, and your online shopping activity. Facebook collects this information through tools like the Facebook Pixel that are embedded on partner websites and apps.
