Instagram has introduced a new personalization feature called “Instagram, Your Algorithm,” allowing users to select topics they want to see more or less of in their recommendations. According to Instagram president Adam Mosseri, the aim of this change is to give users greater control over their experience on the app.
In a detailed post on Threads, Mosseri stated, “I believe enabling people to customize Instagram to their liking and allowing them meaningful control over the products where they spend so much time is in our interest as a business.” He acknowledged that while algorithmic recommendations represent a significant technical achievement, they come with a “cost” to users’ agency.
Mosseri pointed out that interactions with social media systems have become unidirectional. These systems learn from users’ actions—what they touch, watch, and share—but do not allow users to communicate their preferences. “I think this contributes to what people feel when they become uncomfortable with social media,” he said, noting that users often feel the experience is imposed upon them rather than shaped by their choices.
He mentioned that the new personalization features were made possible by large language models (LLMs), which clarify previously opaque algorithms. These tools may facilitate deeper personalization or potentially lead to the creation of a completely customized version of the app in the future.
Mosseri explained that previously, ranking models were developed using technologies that were unreadable to humans. Now, LLMs can analyze content and express it in a way that users can understand. This new approach allows Instagram not only to show users what the system thinks they are interested in but also enables users to express their real preferences to the system.
