The makeover will carve out more space to show the billions of photos and videos that are being posted on Facebook each month. The redesign, which began rolling out Thursday, also ushers in more ways for users to control the types of posts that appear in their feeds.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he wants the News Feed to become more like a digital newspaper filled with compelling information tailored for each user.
The changes are Facebook's attempt to learn more about its users and keep people coming back so the company can sell more advertising.
The new News Feed represents the first major overhaul of Facebook's core service since the launch of Facebook Timeline at the end of 2011.
"The News Feed is one of the most important things we've built," Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the press event. Likening News Feed to "the most personalized newspaper," Zuckerberg added that "the stories around you deserve to be displayed with more than just text."
"How we're all sharing is changing and the News Feed needs to evolve with those changes. This is the evolving face of News Feed."
The feed will include three key parts: bigger images, access to multiple feeds and mobile consistency.
The redesign will place much greater emphasis on visuals, which will be much larger.
You will be able to control your News Feed with access to more types of feeds and more control over how they are displayed, including a chronological view.
"This gives people more power to dig deeper into the topics they care about," Zuckerberg said while discussing the makeover at Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters.
Facebook still intends to rely on algorithms to select some of material to feature on the main part of the News Feed, much like newspaper editors determine what goes on the front page.
The new News Feed design was built for mobile and takes key elements of Facebook's existing mobile apps for phones and tablets, adding a new side navigation bar and more white space.
The new News Feed starts rolling out today, but it will be a slow rollout as Facebook will collect data and adjust the feed as needed before rolling it out to more people.
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Some information from The Associated Press
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