Sydney: Instagram users could see more content from brands and spend less time on the platform if algorithm-based feeds were removed, according to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri.
The CEO’s comments come as the Australian government plans to give social media users the option to switch off algorithm-driven feeds. Under the proposed changes, users would be able to choose between content recommended by algorithms and a reverse chronological feed showing posts from accounts they follow.
The Australian government is also planning measures aimed at reducing online harm across social media platforms.
During the launch of Instagram’s ‘Algo Confessions’ series, Mosseri noted that the platform uses several algorithms for different purposes. These include deciding which friends’ stories appear more often, ranking message suggestions and selecting content for users’ feeds.
The Australian launch is the first international edition of the series outside the US. It features celebrities and influencers explaining how Instagram decides what appears in users’ feeds and how people can influence recommendations by adding or removing topics through their settings.
Chronological feeds
Mosseri said only a ‘very vocal minority’ wants social media platforms to return to reverse chronological feeds. Such a system would encourage people and businesses to post more frequently to gain visibility.
The CEO highlighted that friends generally post less often than creators, while brands and companies can publish even more frequently. As a result, users could become overwhelmed by brand content while posts from friends and creators receive less attention.
According to Mosseri, this could reduce user interest, engagement and satisfaction, ultimately leading people to spend less time on Instagram.
Instagram’s ranking system is not perfect and can sometimes place too much focus on factors that are easy to measure, while giving less weight to aspects that are harder to quantify.
Mosseri also stated that Instagram is working to give users more control over recommendations. In the future, he suggested Meta’s AI models could allow users to ask the platform why they are seeing particular types of content.
On concerns about social media addiction, Mosseri noted that he does not consider Instagram clinically addictive. The CEO distinguished between everyday use of the word ‘addicted’ and clinically defined addiction, which can involve withdrawal symptoms.
However, research has linked frequent engagement with algorithm-driven platforms to changes in dopamine pathways and patterns of dependency. Meta has also faced legal action in the US over claims concerning the addictive nature of its products and recently settled the case for $18 billion while denying wrongdoing.
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