Instagram users can have more control over their algorithm.
According to ABC News, the social media company announced a new feature, Your Algorithm. Using AI, it will generate a summary of users’ interests by analyzing their activity. Tessa Lyons, vice president of product at Instagram, told “Good Morning America.”
“If we get it wrong, you can remove those interests from your algorithm,” she said in the interview.
The feature can be accessed by navigating to the Reels tab, where users will find an icon shaped like two lines with a heart. They will be presented with a dashboard that shows their interests and can select what they would like to view more or less of, per ABC News.
“Being able to tell us that directly so that we can take action in real time, I think, will improve their Instagram experience,” Lyons said on “Good Morning America.”
“This is one way for you to give us feedback on what you’re seeing on reels that can influence the reels you’re seeing going forward. And I think people are going to really enjoy having that level of control and customization,” she continued.
Lance Ulanoff, editor at large for tech news website TechRadar, commented, per ABC News:
“Algorithms are sort of at the center of these social media platforms. They’re maybe the most important part and maybe the least understood part for most consumers. So this is a very big step where one company is kind of opening it up and letting people figure out what it really is and what it means to them.”
Looking ahead, Instagram also said it intends to use the feature in other areas of its app, including the Explore page.
“We’re still early in this journey, and will keep refining and improving the experience over time,” Instagram said in a blog post.
