If you are familiar with any type of social media, you have probably come across the notion of the almighty “algorithm”—the favorite tool for automating the curation of said online platforms.
While it does make the life of these companies easier, using an algorithm has its downsides, especially when it comes to users and the platform’s creators. Arguably one of the most relevant criticisms this method gets is that it steals away your control and freedom of choice.
It seems, however, that some of the social media platforms are beginning to feel the negative impact of this absolute-control approach. Twitter user Alessandro Paluzzi—a mobile developer—has shared screenshots of a new ‘Favorites’ feature that Instagram is working on.
Giving power to the people
For the time being, the way Instagram decides what to show you in your feed is affected by several factors including time of posting, number of shares, number of comments and likes, and some of the so-called “signals” the company mentioned in its June 2021 blog post.
How you can already curate your Instagram feed
Currently, Instagram provides you with three ways of curating your feed.
- You can pick your close friends—a feature most of you are probably familiar with when posting stories, but the social giant says that it also prioritizes these profiles in your feed.
- Muting people. Yes, we all have that one (let’s face it, it is more than one) profile that we do not want to unfollow, but we also want to see less often. Muting gives you the ability to exclude a certain profile’s stories, feed, or both.
- You can decide to hide posts you don’t like, and Instagram will try to show similar content less often than others.
How do you feel about this new ‘Favourites’ feature Instagram is working on? Will it give you an incentive to visit the app more often and enjoy it more? Let us know in the comments.
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