Instagram Gives Users More Control Over Recommendations

For years, social media platforms have relied heavily on recommendation algorithms to decide what users see. According to Mosseri, Instagram is now taking a different step by giving people more visibility into how those recommendations work.

Users Can Now Influence What Instagram Shows Them

The new “Your Algorithm” section displays topics Instagram associates with a user’s interests. People can remove topics they no longer want to see or add subjects they would like to see more often.

The feature is already available across Reels and Explore and is now being rolled out to the main Feed as well.

Mosseri argues that recommendation systems have become increasingly important because users spend less time sharing personal updates publicly and more time interacting through Stories and direct messages. As a result, platforms have filled feeds with content from accounts users do not follow.

Today, a large share of content shown on major social platforms comes from recommendations rather than from a user’s own follow list.

Why This Matters For Marketers

For e-commerce brands and content creators, the update could create new opportunities but also new challenges.

If users actively tell Instagram they want more content about specific interests, the platform’s understanding of audience intent may become more accurate. Brands producing relevant content could benefit from stronger visibility among people who are genuinely interested in their category.

At the same time, marketers may face greater competition for attention if users begin filtering out topics that no longer match their interests.

The change also reinforces a broader trend across digital platforms: algorithms are becoming less of a black box and more of an interactive tool.

AI Is Playing A Key Role

According to Mosseri, recent advances in large language models have made this possible.

Traditional recommendation systems often worked with complex data patterns that users could not understand. New AI models can analyse groups of content and describe them using human language, making it easier to explain why certain recommendations appear.

Instagram says topics are only the first step. The company is already working on controls for people, content types, moods and other preferences.

A Bigger Shift Could Be Coming

Mosseri also suggested that future AI systems may go far beyond content recommendations.

He believes AI could eventually create personalised digital experiences in real time, adapting not only what users see but also how the apps themselves function for each individual.

For businesses, this raises an important question, if every user experiences a platform differently, understanding audience preferences may become even more important than understanding the platform itself.