You can soon reset your Instagram algorithm – but users say the same thing

Do you ever feel captive to your Instagram algorithm? If so, you could soon get a ‘fresh start’ by resetting explore, reels and feed suggestions.

Parent company Meta, which also owns Facebook, is trialling a new feature that would allow users to reset their recommendations.

Over time, the content they’re show would become more personalised again as the algorithm learns what catches their attention.

There are already some features that allow users to tailor their experience, like hiding words or expressing interest in certain content.

But this change allows a ‘fresh start’ for anyone feeling stuck in a cycle of harmful or uninteresting content.

Announcing the tool in a blog post, Meta said it is aimed at ensuring ‘everyone on Instagram – especially teens – has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and feels the time they’re spending on Instagram is valuable’.

However, the feature, which ‘will soon roll out globally’, doesn’t seem to have gone down too well online.

Although some welcomed, saying ‘finally I can cure my brain rot’, many seemed to think it threatened their carefully curated feeds.

Commenting underneath an announcement on Instagram, Trucchainz said: ‘I built this algorithm brick by brick, no thanks.’

Max_vld said: ‘Nah, I build this brick by brick, never gonna change it.’

Colin Martin said: ‘Nah, I like only being recommended content that revolves around Sydney Sweeney and cat videos.’

Others want recommendations scrapped entirely, while some want one very specific change that Instagram seems to ignore.

Ashleyflores said: ‘Can we please just have chronological order back. That’s all we ask.’

Koolkeep6 said: ‘Make it how it used to be and quit screwing around doing random stuff nobody wants.’

Sophie_isacommonname said: ‘I just want to see content from the accounts I’ve chosen to follow, not endless suggested shite, why is that so difficult?’

Commenting on the new feature, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said: ‘It’s going to make your Instagram much less interesting at first, because we’re going to treat you as if we know nothing about you and your interests and it’ll take us some time to learn those again.

‘So it’s not something I recommend doing all the time, but if you do end up in a place where you really don’t feel great about your experience, this gives you an out.’

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