Instagram is experimenting with new ways to give users more say over what shows up in their feed. The update aims to make it possible for people to tell the recommendation engine of the app about the type of content they prefer and the topics they don’t want to see during their browsing through their feed. This update is the latest move of the platform towards making the algorithm of Instagram less of a black box and more controllable for the users.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently said the company is looking for more ways to make people aware that this kind of control exists. Also, Instagram is going to increase the number of access points to the algorithm controls feature that is available in the app. These new tests are the next step in the process of roll out of the control option known as Your Algorithm. At the beginning of its development, the feature was launched for more limited number of users and then it was made available in different areas of the application.
What Mosseri Said About the Plan
In the recent post, Mosseri shared the information about the goals his team has set in terms of Your Algorithm. He openly stated that not all of the features being developed right now will definitely end up being used in the final product. Thus, he mentioned the fact that some features are being tested right now, some others will be rolled out soon, and some of them won’t work at all.
That kind of honesty is worth noting, since plenty of users have been let down before when a company announces a feature and then quietly drops it. Setting expectations this way makes clear from the start that this is an ongoing experiment, not a finished product.
Four Ideas Instagram Is Testing
Mosseri shared four concrete ideas related to the expansion of the possibilities of the algorithm controls that are being tested now.
The first idea includes the implementation of the possibility to reach the Your Algorithm screen from the home page. People would be able to scroll down the screen to reach the panel and add or remove some of the topics that the algorithm has identified based on the behavior of the user. This means that people would reach this tool more easily because it is designed to appear naturally while people are browsing through their feed.
Also, Instagram is going to test the possibility to reach the Your Algorithm panel while people are browsing through Reels. Right now, users have to leave the Reels screen to make changes. Being able to adjust topics on the spot would make it easier, since the content is still fresh in their mind.
Moreover, Instagram considers the addition of some options for the function bar that appears below recommended Reels. Such an addition would allow people to reach the Your Algorithm screen and signalize whether they are interested in this kind of content or not. This is a small change that will reduce one more layer of friction that usually stops people from using feedback tools.
Finally, Instagram plans to test conversational prompts that would make it possible for people to refine their recommendations with the help of natural language. In such a way, people will be able to talk to the algorithm and this feature would reflect Instagram’s general attempt to create more personalized experiences with the help of the increasing use of artificial intelligence algorithms.
A Feature That’s Interesting but Not a Full Fix
These tests are the genuine step towards providing more visibility of the creation of the feed. But these updates don’t address one of the most common requests from users: a purely chronological feed that only shows posts from the accounts they follow.
Meta hasn’t built that feature, and the reason isn’t a mystery. Algorithm-driven feeds consistently produce more engagement than chronological ones, so there’s little business incentive to offer it.
Will People Actually Use It
Another thing worth asking here is just how many people are likely to actually take advantage of such tools once they are implemented. The track record of both algorithm controls, security and feed preferences on social networks is long enough for users’ loud appeals requesting such options to turn into low actual adoption rates. This issue applies to Instagram features as well. Topic controls on Reels were previously requested and implemented, but the actual use rate is still low despite high interest among people.
Most users today simply don’t want to dig through settings. In an era where algorithm-based feeds become more and more popular across almost every platform, people are more than happy to simply launch the application and start scrolling through their feeds, counting on the system’s ability to understand their preferences. TikTok’s feed helped reinforce this expectation, since it became known for picking up on viewing habits without requiring any manual input. As a result, people are less inclined to dig into settings, since they’re used to being shown things they like without having to ask.
This update is surely going to be noticed by Meta. One would be curious to know about usage rates of the existing Your Algorithm tool since the increase of visibility is bound to improve the usage statistics even if it stays small. Still, for now, this update seems to be the move made by Meta in order to calm down its audience’s concerns regarding the company’s influence on their feeds rather than something that really gives users more control over them.
Why Meta Is Unlikely to Go Further
Do not expect Meta to give people more control and put too much effort into popularizing these tools. The company has little incentive to risk a drop in time spent on the app by letting people heavily edit their interests, since that could pull them away from the recommended content that tends to keep them engaged longer.
This contradiction lies in the basis of nearly every algorithm control option launched by any platform. Companies have no choice but to try to satisfy user needs for transparency and control, but they need these algorithms to recommend users some things in order to engage them. Therefore, the solution to this problem usually consists in providing some meaningful control over the experience which does not give the user a chance to modify anything essential.
Still, this is important to pay attention to. Even if the actual effect of this update is going to be modest, at least it provides users with additional opportunities to let Instagram understand what they like and what they do not like. It may or may not lead to a noticeable change in the user experience, but at least this is one more step towards more transparency of Instagram’s algorithm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q 1: What is Instagram testing with its algorithm controls?
Instagram is testing new ways to make it easier for users to let the app’s recommendation system understand what content they want to see and what they do not.
Q 2: Who announced these new tests?
These updates were announced by Instagram’s chief Adam Mosseri. He described several features that Instagram is currently testing, with some of them coming soon and others maybe not launching at all.
Q 3: What are the four features Instagram is considering?
The possibility to gain access to the Your Algorithm panel from the home screen, direct topic controls between Reels, control options on the Reels function bar and conversational prompts to refine recommendations.
Q 4: How would the home screen access point work?
Users will be able to drag the screen down to get access to the Your Algorithm panel and add or remove topics that Instagram has understood from their behavior.
Q 5: What are the conversational prompts meant to do?
They would allow users to refine their recommendations by using natural language instead of selecting topics from the list.
Q 6: Does this address requests for a chronological, follow only feed?
No, this update will not give users the opportunity to create a chronologically ordered feed based only on the accounts they are following.
Q 7: Why hasn’t Meta introduced a fully chronological feed?
Algorithm-driven feeds are better at engagement rates, which reduces Meta’s incentives to provide this option to users.
Q 8: Are these algorithms control features new to Instagram?
No, they only build upon the existing Your Algorithm tool which has already received some updates lately.
Q 9: Will most users actually use these new controls?
It is hard to say. Usually, users rarely take advantage of similar tools even though they ask for them since most of them would prefer to let the algorithm learn their preferences automatically.
Q 10: Is Meta expected to give users full control over their feed?
Unlikely. Since there is no incentive for Meta to lose engagement of users, these controls are not expected to replace algorithmic recommendations completely.
