One of the widespread criticisms of Instagram is the way it handles the feed. Back in 2017, Instagram replaced its chronological feed with an algorithmic one that decides what to show on the home page when you open the app. While we might not be getting chronological feed back anytime soon, Instagram is working on a new feature that lets you choose what you see in the timeline.
Instagram Feed Possible Changes Spotted Online
As Instagram explained in a blog post earlier this year, the algorithm uses various signals including information about the post, the person who posted, your activity, and your activity history of interacting with someone. While this sounds good in theory, it also means that you would miss out on important posts from your friends who are not actively posting on Instagram. That might change soon, as Instagram is reportedly working on a new feature to give you more control over what you browse.
According to app reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, Instagram may soon let you choose between Home, Following, and Favorites for the feed. As a result, you can choose to avoid suggested posts when you inevitably see the ‘You’re All Caught Up’ banner after hours of doomscrolling.
In case you are unaware, Favorites is equivalent to what we currently have for Stories as the ‘Close friends’ list. Once available, you can pick your favorite Instagram accounts and they will appear higher in the feed. When you set your Instagram feed to Favorites, you will see just the posts from the accounts part of your Favorites list. You can add a total of 50 people to your Favorites list and posts from these accounts will have a pin (📌) icon in the feed.
Although the spotted change is not as convenient as a chronological feed, it might be the right antidote to help you reduce your screen time while staying updated with your close friends. We will have to wait to see when Instagram is planning to roll these much-needed changes to the timeline.
