Why is Instagram bringing back the chronological feed?

Question

Accepted Answer

Instagram is Reintroducing a Chronological Feed for Users

Instagram is set to bring back a chronological feed option for users, a change that is expected to be implemented in the first quarter of 2022. This development was announced by Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, during his testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security on December 8. The social network has been developing this feature for several months, responding to significant user criticism of the algorithmic feed introduced in 2016.
User Dissatisfaction with Algorithmic Feed

The decision to reintroduce a chronological feed stems from widespread user dissatisfaction with the algorithmic feed implemented in 2016. Prior to this change, the Instagram news feed displayed posts in the order they were published. However, the 2016 update shifted to an algorithmically sorted feed, which aimed to show users posts based on their perceived interests and engagement levels, rather than simply the time of posting. This alteration led to considerable criticism from a large segment of the user base who preferred the predictability and recency offered by a chronological display.
Development of Optional Chronological Filters

In addition to a full chronological feed, Instagram is reportedly developing two optional filters to provide users with more control over their content consumption. One filter will allow users to view posts exclusively from accounts they follow, presented in chronological order. A second filter will enable users to designate a list of "favorite" friends, thereby seeing content solely from this select group. These filters are intended to offer further customization beyond the primary chronological feed.
Potential Motivations for the Change

While the primary driver for this shift is user demand, the timing of the announcement has also led to speculation about its broader implications. Instagram has faced increasing scrutiny from the US Congress regarding the platform's impact on teenage users. The reintroduction of a chronological feed could be seen as a move to address user concerns and potentially ease some of the tensions with lawmakers. Instagram's own justification for the 2016 algorithm change was that users were missing a significant amount of content, with Mosseri stating in June 2021 that users were missing "70 per cent of all posts in Feed." The return to a chronological option may be an attempt to regain user trust and support.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

Why is Instagram bringing back the chronological feed?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends