Here's How to De-Politicize Your Facebook Feed

For years, your Facebook feed was home to a steady stream of cats doing adorable things, CrossFit anecdotes, and pictures of your friends' dinner plates. Since the beginning of the 2016 presidential election, it’s probably seen a sharp conversion to heated conversations about public policy and the often-adversarial relationship between supporters and opponents of Donald Trump.

Perhaps you’re tired of the dialogue, in which case CBS News might be able to assist. The outlet recently made three suggestions for keeping your more vocal friends at bay by utilizing some freely available filters to minimize political talk.

For Google Chrome users, an add-on called Remove All Politics From Facebook will search posts for keywords and keep them hidden from view. The developer warns that it can’t recognize photos, so memes will still trickle through.

Social Fixer is a more expansive add-on that works with other browsers, including Firefox and Safari. The software allows you to choose specific keywords to block and can also hide spoilers for television shows as well as sponsored posts.

When all else fails, Facebook also allows you to “unfollow” friends or hide their individual posts. You’ll remain friends with the opinionated party, but you won’t be kept up to date on his or her latest rant.

Now might be a good time to incorporate any or all of these methods. Last year, a poll conducted online and reported by The Washington Post found that one-third of respondents were being harassed on social media over their political opinions.