Facebook terminates the ticker, the ‘creeper feed’ of every interaction

By Hillary K. Grigonis December 11, 2017

facebook stories on desktop tested sign — Panithan Fakseemuang / 123RF

Facebook is making it harder to see what your friends are liking and commenting on right this minute — the ticker feed recently joined Facebook’s list of axed features. A Facebook representative confirmed through a help forum last week that the ticker, which showed friend activity in real time from status updates to likes and comments, was removed after users started asking where the option was.

The Facebook ticker, shown above in the original 2011 design, showed a list of every like, comment and status update. Image used with permission by copyright holder

The ticker is about as old as Facebook’s algorithms that determine what content you see first. The tool launched back in 2011 as a real-time alternative to news feed algorithms. While the feed chooses top stories based on past likes and other data, the ticker showed everything as it happened, including not just status updates but likes and comments on other posts as well.

Recommended Videos

While Facebook only recently confirmed the feature got the ax, users have been reporting the tool missing for several weeks before that. The platform appeared to either test a ticker-free feed first or may have simply gradually removed the feature.

Facebook’s decision to remove the feature likely wasn’t on a whim — the platform tested the removal of the real-time tracker in 2013, creating a panic (or in some cases, excitement) when the feature was part of an outage. Facebook returned the feature after the temporary outage.

The removal of the ticker has mixed reactions for Facebook users. Many inside the Facebook help forums are reporting that they used the tool often and liked being able to have both an algorithmic feed and a real-time option. Others have different names for the feature, including “creeper feed” because of the tool’s inclusion of not just status updates but all activity on the platform.

Without the ticker, Facebook’s right-hand sidebar on desktop browsers is divided into different sections with Stories at the top, followed by event invited, trending topics, Instant games, and a list of episodes (if you follow any) as part of Facebook’s new push for original video content. And of course, some ads.

With only a one-line response inside a help forum confirming that the ticker is no longer available, it is unclear why Facebook decided to remove the feature. Users could previously remove the ticker from their sidebar and then turn it back on again later if they changed their mind.

Topics

Hillary K. Grigonis

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…

Social Media

I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Computing

Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device

How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Mobile

How to download Instagram photos for free

Instagram app running on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Instagram is amazing, and many of us use it as a record of our lives — uploading the best bits of our trips, adventures, and notable moments. But sometimes you can lose the original files of those moments, leaving the Instagram copy as the only available one . While you may be happy to leave it up there, it's a lot more convenient to have another version of it downloaded onto your phone or computer. While downloading directly from Instagram can be tricky, there are ways around it. Here are a few easy ways to download Instagram photos.