Instagram just dropped a game-changing feature, and honestly, it’s about time.
On Wednesday, the social media giant officially launched “Your Algorithm”, a new tool designed to give users real influence over what kind of content shows up in their feeds — starting with the Reels tab.
If you’ve ever felt like your Instagram feed was showing you the wrong kind of content or wondered why certain videos keep popping up again and again, this update might just be your new favorite feature.
What Exactly Is the ‘Your Algorithm’ Feature?
In short? It’s Instagram handing you the steering wheel.
The new feature, available in the Reels tab (just tap the heart-shaped icon with two lines in the top right corner), opens up a personalized dashboard. This dashboard shows your top interests based on your recent activity — the stuff you’ve liked, watched, or interacted with most often.
But here’s where it gets interesting: if Instagram’s algorithm didn’t get it right? You can change it.
Tessa Lyons, Vice President of Product at Instagram, broke the news during an interview with Good Morning America, saying:
“We use AI to summarize your interests based on your activity. And if we get it wrong, you can remove those interests from your algorithm.”
So now, instead of passively scrolling and accepting what the algorithm serves up, you can tell Instagram exactly what you do or don’t want to see more of.
More Customization, Less Guessing
Within this new dashboard, users can actively note what kind of content they’d prefer to see more frequently or less often. That real-time feedback loop can adjust your content experience almost immediately — no more crossing your fingers and hoping the algorithm catches on.
Lyons emphasized this shift as a more personalized experience for everyone:
“Being able to tell us that directly so that we can take action in real time, I think, will improve their Instagram experience.”
This isn’t just a technical update. It’s a philosophical shift — one that gives users back some control in a world where algorithms usually call all the shots.
A Big Step Toward Algorithm Transparency
The feature has already caught the attention of tech insiders.
Lance Ulanoff, Editor at Large at TechRadar, weighed in on what this means for the broader tech landscape:
“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.”
Think about it: most of us scroll through our feeds every day without really knowing why we see the things we see. This move could signal a new era where platforms become more open about how they work — and give people a say in it.
You Can Even Share Your Algorithm
In classic Instagram fashion, the update doesn’t stop at personal control — it also adds a social twist.
Alongside editing your interests, the new dashboard lets you share your algorithm with your followers via Instagram Stories. That means your friends can see what kinds of topics you’re into, from cooking hacks to fitness tips to travel inspo.
According to Instagram’s blog post:
“Instagram is leading the way in giving you more control, so your Reels feel relevant and made for you. We’re starting with the Reels tab, and are planning to bring this ability to Explore, and more places in the app soon.”
So if you’ve been dying for a more personalized — and honestly, less annoying — Instagram experience, this is just the beginning.
What Comes Next?
While this rollout is currently limited to the Reels tab, Instagram isn’t stopping there. Plans are already in motion to expand similar controls to other parts of the app like the Explore tab, with future updates promised to refine and improve the experience even more.
This marks a major shift in how social platforms operate — putting user preference front and center instead of locking it behind obscure machine learning models. So next time you open the Reels tab and find a video you just can’t stand, don’t just scroll past. Open your algorithm dashboard and tell Instagram exactly how you feel.
