Adam Mosseri has revealed that Instagram has started testing two new feed settings, one of which brings back the much asked for chronological option. Mosseri tweeted a video demonstrating a new home menu with three options for Instagram’s display posts.
The new feed features a ‘home’ setting — Instagram’s current default, which shows posts based on what interests the user ranked using an algorithm. The two new settings are ‘Favourites’ and ‘Following.’
The ‘Favourite’ feed will be populated with content from a selection of favourite accounts chosen by the user, and the ‘Following’ feed will show all posts from the accounts the user follows in chronological order.
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Old feed makes a comeback
Instagram’s algorithmic post sorting has been criticised since it first appeared in 2016. Users often complain of not seeing posts from some accounts they follow or seeing older posts at the top of their feeds.
This has also led to much speculation by Instagram creators about how the algorithm works and decides which content to push to the top of users’ feeds. Mosseri has tried explaining the methods used several times in his blogs. The non-chronological feed will start featuring more and more recommended posts, functioning more like a discovery hub for new accounts to follow rather than a feed to keep up with the accounts a user follows.
The chronological feed’s return was promised during a Senate subcommittee hearing in December. He also said that Instagram was already testing the favourites feed during a Q&A in December.
Users have already started seeing these new options show up in the app. According to Mosseri, the changes are already going out and will be widespread over the next few weeks, with the company planning to roll out a finalised version in the first half of 2022.
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