Meta is giving all US Instagram users control over the Reels algorithm

After testing giving users control over the algorithm that controls the display of Reels on Instagram, Meta has now rolled out this personalization feature to everyone in the US.

With algorithms so easily thrown off by a rogue period of viewing, these new controls give users a way to redirect the algorithm back in the direction they would prefer. It is a quick and easy way to make it clear the type of content you are definitely interested in, as well as indicating the stuff that you really don’t want to see.

This marks an interesting shift for Meta. In just about every area of its work, the company has indicated a clear preference for using AI to control everything, and algorithms are no different. It would seem that Meta is responding to feedback that algorithms driven by artificial intelligence still do not deliver the nuanced range of content people are generally looking for.

The new approach allows for both user input and AI to be used together. Whether or not this results in a more acceptable selection of Reels being displayed remains to be seen.

In a brief post about the wider rollout of this feature, Meta said on Threads:

Your interests change, so why not your algorithm? Now using AI, you can change your @instagram Reels algorithm.

The way the system works is pretty simple. By heading to Settings, it is possible to see what the algorithm currently thinks that you are interested in seeing. If you agree, then you can leave things just as they are. But you also have the option of tweaking things by removing categories you don’t want to see and adding those that seem to be missing.

Going into rather more detail about what is changing, Meta’s Chris Cox says:

We’re launching the “your algorithm” tool on Reels today in the US and will roll out soon to all English speaking users — a big step towards a more controllable experience. We’ve done a bunch of work on the tech under the hood and we will continue to refine these tools, but already it’s quite powerful to steer your recommendations towards your specific interests.

Meta has not indicated when it plans to expand these algorithm controls outside of the US, but it does intend to do so at some point in the future.