Relational affordances of information processing on Facebook

Facebook is increasingly considered as a trusted medium for obtaining news, but the abundance of information on the platform often leads users to experience information overload. Consequently, users need to develop strategies to process information. A survey conducted through a Facebook application reveals that the tie strength of Facebook friends influences how users perceive information on Facebook. Specifically, they appear to rely on heuristic cues (e.g., Facebook “likes” and comments) to process information from weak ties, but these cues are not used when processing information from strong ties. These so-called relational affordances have significant implications for platform design and marketing.