Instagram has extended its controls for your Algorithm to the main feed. This update gives Instagram users a way to manage topics that influence recommendations across Feeds, Reels, and Explore.
About Your Algorithm. Your Algorithm feature allows people to view topics related to Instagram and their interests, remove topics they don’t want, and add topics they want to see more often. Instagram introduced the Your Reels Algorithm in December and has since expanded the caption controls to more featured areas.
The feed joins Reels and Explore. The update brings topic-level controls to Instagram’s main feed, where recommended posts from unfollowed account users now make up a large part of the experience.
- Users start with a list that Instagram generates for their activity.
- Changes to that list help the system adjust future recommendations.
More user control. Instagram head Adam Moseri said this change addresses the lack of control users often feel in recommendations-driven feeds.
- “The app learns from what you tap, watch, and share, but it can’t tell you what you want,” Mosseri wrote.
- Major language models now allow Instagram to describe content collections in plain language, giving users a clear way to shape what the system believes they like, Mosseri said.
Interested media. Gary Vaynerchuk described this shift from fan-based feeds (social media) to interest-based acquisitions (interest media). Platforms now prioritize content based on engagement rather than user engagement. Instagram reviews make that model more visible by showing users what they like behind their recommendations.
Why do we care. Instagram acquisitions are increasingly prioritizing users’ common interests over fan relationships. Your content should show clear topics and target audience because those signals help determine where recommendations are coming from.
Additional controls are planned. Topics are just the beginning. Mosseri said Instagram is developing controls for people, emotions, content types, and other signals.
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