Key Takeaways
- Instagram under Meta is testing a feed reset option to combat criticism surrounding safety of teen users.
- Resetting feed content may improve the overall experience for users.
- The global launch of the reset option by Meta is imminent.
Instagram started out as a haven for photographers to collect and share their work, but quickly became a multi-billion-dollar social media app under Meta’s ownership. It has drawn criticism from lawmakers and users alike for algorithms promoting addictive tendencies among users, but feed and account personalization are still available. Now, Meta is testing an option to reset the algorithm that controls feed recommendations and a few other elements.
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More control for users is never a bad idea, but it might be the need of the hour on Meta’s platforms. Currently, the only easy way to reset what’s recommended in your feed or change how posts are arranged, is to just create a second account. However, there is a glimmer of hope that you might not need to resort to such drastic measures to just get a feed reset.
In a recent blog post, Instagram explained it is testing a new option to reset algorithmically suggested content you see in the main feed, the Reels tab, and Explore section (via Engadget). For a few testers, this option is already hidden in the app settings.
Signs of a global rollout already visible
Testing might just be a precursor
Instagram has rolled out this option to testers with a keen focus on making the platform safer for teens and younger users. However, the option to reset your feed should be more generally useful. After a reset, your recommendations will start personalization again, depending on the accounts you interact with, making this a great option if you are returning to the app after a hiatus and with different interests, or if the feeds are no longer an accurate representation of your current interests and flagging each post is too much effort.
However, it’s worth noting that hitting reset does not delete data about your preferences, and your ad preferences aren’t affected as well. So, posts in your feed might appear more irrelevant than the ads for a while thereafter. Separate settings to manage your ad preferences are available, though.
On the other hand, Meta seems to be planning to launch this reset option globally, so we should have more detail soon.
