Instagram is experimenting with a new function that will allow users to customize the algorithm that recommends content in the feed. In change, which we could define substantial, arrives at a particular moment: Instagram has just passed the finish line of the 3 billion of active users per month, confirming its centrality in the panorama of global social networks beating the competitor Tiktok. The announcement came directly from Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, who chose his official profile to communicate the novelty. It is interesting to observe how recent growth has been pulled above all by three factors: private messages, short videos (the so -called reels) and the recommendations of content not coming directly from the accounts that follow. The users themselves will be able to select which topics are actually connected to their interests. In this way, there will be greater control on the composition of the feed and the “explorer” section, and this could affect the time that users spend in the app. As a result, Instagram’s pressure on his “rivals” could become increasingly important.
What is the personalized instagram algorithm
An algorithm, in simple terms, is a set of mathematical and logical rules that serve to order or select information. Applied to social media, defines which contents are shown first, which have greater visibility and which instead remain in the background. The possibility of intervening manually on this process marks a real change of paradigm, as the same users will indicate to the algorithm what they really care, thus becoming the protagonists in the definition of their digital space and not passive users, whose feed is conditioned important by the “moods” of the moment of the platform’s algorithm.
To enter the merits, the first section to benefit from the change will be that of the Reels, where the algorithm has a decisive role in suggesting videos that can capture the attention of users. Subsequently, the option will be extended both to the main feed and to the Explorer section, which represent two crucial access points to discover new content. Within the app settings there will be a list of topics that Instagram associates with the tastes of users, derived from the interactions and habits of use. From there it will be possible to remove rumors that are not of effective interest or add issues that you intend to deepen.
In motivating the choice to give users the opportunity to customize the algorithm of their Instagram account, in a post published on their account (which we propose below), Mosseri wrote:
In a world where advice continues to grow, we know that it is important to give you greater control over your experience. Soon we will start testing a way to allow you to customize your algorithm by adding and removing topics based on your interests, starting with the Reel. We hope this is a new significant way to shape what you see.
When and where Instagram news will be available
The novelty announced by Mosseri does not yet have an official release date and Instagram has not clarified which countries will come first. Based on the strategy already adopted in the past by Meta, the Instagram parent company, it may be started with limited tests in the United States or India, two key markets for the app, before reaching a global distribution, also in our latitudes. But these are mere speculations that, at least at the moment, have not found official confirmations. The fact is that a gradual approach will allow Instagram to collect precious feedback, useful for refining the function before its global launch. It is not uncommon, in fact, that technological companies introduce innovations through “soft launch”, that is, partial launches that serve to improve the product before global availability.
