MASS. — Social media feeds are flooded with content. Sometimes, it’s exactly what we want; other times, not so much. When the algorithm doesn’t align with your interests, it can get frustrating.
“Sometimes it pops out stuff you don’t want to see,” said Shivani, a Boston resident, after noticing a shift in her feed. “The topics you don’t want to associate with.”
The reality is, your algorithm isn’t truly personalized—it’s designed to keep you scrolling.
“It’s thinking more along the lines of the business. I know what the business wants, which is to draw you in and keep you here,” explained David Richard, Public Relations Professor at Emerson College and Founder/CEO of BIG FISH PR. “So we’re going to feed you content that’s shocking, that draws your attention and makes it impossible to ignore.”
This type of algorithm gives users less control over their social media experience. But with growing complaints, Instagram and its parent company META have introduced the long-awaited “reset” button for U.S. users.
Here’s how to reset your algorithm on Instagram:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to ‘Content Preferences’
- Select ‘Reset Suggested Content’
- Hit ‘Next,’ then press ‘Reset Suggested Content’ again.lect ‘Reset suggest content’, select ‘Next, and finally press ‘Reset suggested content’.
“Make no mistake, Instagram is not changing their algorithm,” Richard said. “This is just giving you, as an end user, the opportunity to reset.”
The option isn’t permanent, if you hate your feed after the reset, experts say your feed will eventually revert to its original state.
It’s important to know, that a reset on your account won’t delete your old data. The same goes for the data used to target users with ads. Instead, the reset button gives users a chance to say goodbye to those annoying videos you never asked for, but only for a little while.
It’s not a solution to user control, but experts say its a step in the right direction.
“Giving control to the end user on what content they see, I believe is a is a very good move in the right direction,” Richard said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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