Facebook is testing ‘Trending Articles’ Insert in their Newsfeed.

The insert is prominent, to the point where it actually seems to “take over” the Newsfeed. David Holley, who sent over the screenshot below, called it “obnoxious as hell.” He said he was surprised to see it in his Newsfeed in the first place because he doesn’t use any of the social reader apps. What’s more, those articles weren’t really “trending” — only one of his friends had read each of the articles highlighted in the section.

It may be only a test, but at this point, the feature — which already exists in different forms on Twitter and Google+ — seems more annoying than helpful. I’d rather see a “Trending Articles” tab on the side of the page that would allow me to tap into the stories of the moment. I’m not interested in having what are essentially advertisements for social reader apps taking up valuable real estate in my Newsfeed.

Source: Mashable