The Facebook Algorithm Trap
As a work-at-home dad, my time is my most valuable currency. But every time I opened Facebook to check on friends, I fell into a "trap." Between the endless Reels and the "Suggested for You" posts, I’d look up and realize an hour had vanished.
I wasn't seeing my friends anymore; I was seeing what an algorithm wanted me to see. I decided to build a way out.
"60 Nested Spans"
My first instinct was to block the "Sponsored" label. I opened the inspector and found something insane: Facebook engineers had split the word "Sponsored" into nearly 60 different <span> tags with random IDs, lacing them together to confuse blockers.
The Pivot
I realized I couldn't win by hiding what I didn't want. So I flipped the logic: I built a crawler to whitelist only what I do want. By syncing your actual friend list, FriendFocus hides everything else by default. It was a "Redemption" moment—the feed was finally quiet.
The Moment I Almost Quit
Just as I finished the MVP, a friend told me Facebook had launched a native "Friends" tab on mobile. I felt like I had wasted my time. But then I looked at my laptop—the web experience was still a mess of ads, and the mobile feature wasn't even available to everyone yet.
I decided to scrap the payment gateway I was building and release it for free. If it helps even a few people reclaim their focus, it's worth it.
Beyond just a Friend List
Story Purification
The same logic applied to the Stories bar. No more "Suggested" stories from strangers.
Following & Public Figures
Sync your follow list so you don't miss updates from the creators and pages you actually care about.
Selective Group Whitelist
Stay connected to quality communities (like Build In Public VN) while keeping the rest of the noise out.