Instagram is taking a step towards giving users more control over the algorithm that dictates what videos appear in its Reels. Starting today, users will be able to see a list of their top interests, as well as influence what topics they want to see more or less often in their Reels.
The feature, called "Your Algorithm," is part of Meta's broader effort to personalize the Instagram experience for users. It drops at a time when both Instagram and TikTok are competing for younger users' attention. According to a recent study, 80% of US adults under 30 use Instagram, while 63% use TikTok.
The "Your Algorithm" feature allows users to see a brief summary of their recent interests based on activity in the Reels feed. Users can then add or remove topics they'd like to see more or less of. The summaries are generated using generative AI and include topics such as "Horror movies," "Chess," and "College football."
While TikTok launched a similar feature last year, Meta's version provides more granular controls for users. Instagram is also including a way for users to share their adjusted interests in a post, allowing them to brag about what they're into.
The new feature comes as social media companies continue to prioritize personalized feeds over traditional chronological ones. The battle for algorithm-less feeds may be lost, but the fight for hyper-personalized features rages on.
The feature, called "Your Algorithm," is part of Meta's broader effort to personalize the Instagram experience for users. It drops at a time when both Instagram and TikTok are competing for younger users' attention. According to a recent study, 80% of US adults under 30 use Instagram, while 63% use TikTok.
The "Your Algorithm" feature allows users to see a brief summary of their recent interests based on activity in the Reels feed. Users can then add or remove topics they'd like to see more or less of. The summaries are generated using generative AI and include topics such as "Horror movies," "Chess," and "College football."
While TikTok launched a similar feature last year, Meta's version provides more granular controls for users. Instagram is also including a way for users to share their adjusted interests in a post, allowing them to brag about what they're into.
The new feature comes as social media companies continue to prioritize personalized feeds over traditional chronological ones. The battle for algorithm-less feeds may be lost, but the fight for hyper-personalized features rages on.
, like how am i supposed to discover new stuff when they're constantly shoving ads and weird videos down my face? 
? like, i get it, they want to personalize the experience, but can't we just have a feed that shows us stuff without trying to analyze our every move?
. i guess it's nice that they're including an option to share our interests in a post, but i'm not holding my breath 
.
meta thinks it's a big deal that they're giving us more options to customize our "algorithm" lol like what's next, a settings menu for our likes and comments too? 
but seriously, who doesn't love being bombarded with content from people we've never heard of or are mildly interested in? at least now we can pretend to care about college football. 
Meta's doin this "Your Algorithm" thing where u can control what vids show up in ur Reels and its kinda cool i guess, they're usin AI to generate topics so u can add or remove them based on ur activity but honestly im not sure if its gonna make a diff since instagrams algorithm is prob still gonna favor the ads 
... Can't they just make it so I see what my friends are posting without having to sift through a ton of irrelevant stuff? And now Instagram is trying to let us control this mess by letting us choose our own interests 
. Like, what's wrong with just seeing posts from the people I interact with most? Do I really need some AI-powered summary of my "recent interests" just to decide what Reels are more or less relevant? 
Give me a break, Instagram. Just make it simple and chronological already 
. I mean, who doesn't want to avoid seeing cat videos all day? But seriously, 80% of US adults under 30 using Instagram? That's crazy! And TikTok isn't far behind with 63% of the same age group 
. So it's great that Instagram is giving them more control over their experience. The fact that they're using generative AI to summarize interests is genius 
! And sharing adjusted interests on a post? Genius again 
!
. I think Meta's got it right by giving users this level of control. Can't wait to see how this plays out and if other social media platforms take note! 
. It's about time, tbh. I mean, who wants their feed filled with random stuff they don't care about? But at the same time, it's like, what's the point of having personalized feeds if you can just tell the algorithm what you're into and then it's gonna be all formulaic 
.
. But let's be real, the algorithm thingy is still gonna be there, lurking in the background, deciding what we see and what we don't 
. i mean, who doesn't want to see a list of their top interests and be able to influence what topics show up more or less? 
. and who knows, maybe one day we'll have algorithm-less feeds too 
. but at the same time, it feels like meta is just trying to make money off our data... i mean, who needs generative AI when you've got basic human intuition? 
anyway, this feature feels like it's a step in the right direction for instagram users who are tired of seeing the same old algorithm-driven content all the time 