Instagram’s chronological feed makes a grand return, but you can’t set it as default
It’s unclear if any user actually benefits from thealgorithmic feeds every social network opted to impose, but it sure is a reality we all have to face online. Facebook and Instagram both offer algorithmic feeds instead of chronological ones, and while Twitter gives you the option to switch to a “Latest Tweets” feed, Instagram doesn’t have a similar option. That’s changing, though, as the chronological feed is finally returning — though not without a major catch.
As announced by Instagram(viaTechCrunch), when opening the app, you’ll be able to tap on the Instagram logo and switch from the default order totwo different options. The first is Following, which shows the latest posts in chronological order, while the second one is Favorites, an all-new,previously leakedfeature that will allow you to select a handful of “favorite” accounts to curate your feed and only see posts from those accounts. You can set up to 50 accounts as “favorites,” which rank higher in the existing algorithmic feed.
Unfortunately, algorithmic sorting remains as the default option — you can’t set either of the other two feeds as primary. Instagram says its research indicated that most people are satisfied with how the existing feed does things. Basically, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As much as it’s great to see Instagram adding back some features, there’s a backstory to this change. The move comes after CEO Adam Mosseri told politicians during aSenate hearing in Decemberthat chronological feeds would return, following concerns that those algorithms were manipulating users.
This change should roll out to everyone beginning today.
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