Instagram is experimenting with bringing user-controlled algorithm tools to Threads, its rival to X. This feature was uncovered while in development by reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, who discovered the code and reported it is related to similar algorithm configuration tools also coming to Instagram. When contacted, Instagram confirmed the product is still an internal prototype and is not currently being tested with users. However, the Instagram account for this feature is live and followed by several Meta engineers.
Threads is developing a tool that would let users configure their feed by tagging a specific account on the app. According to the findings, Threads users would see a screen explaining they could tag this account to tell Threads what they want to see more or less of in their feed.
This idea is similar to one Elon Musk recently said was coming to X. In a post, Musk suggested that a future version of his platform would allow users to tag Grok, the AI chatbot, to adjust their feed in real time. He also stated that the X algorithm would be purely AI driven by November.
On Threads, this algorithm configuration feature is part of Instagram’s larger efforts to revamp its main app to emphasize Reels and recommendations. Instagram announced it will soon allow users to more directly control the app’s algorithm by choosing which topics they would like to see more or less of in their feeds.
This is not Instagram’s first effort aimed at letting users configure their experience. The company launched alternative feeds like Following and Favorites in 2022. On Threads, it began allowing users to switch between their main For You feed and a Following feed back in 2023.
These changes come after years of Congressional hearings examining social media’s influence on youth through platform algorithms. These concerns have also influenced the creation of more modern, open social networks like Bluesky, where users pick their own algorithm and moderation options.
In a demonstration, Instagram head Adam Mosseri showed how users could click a button at the top of their feed to access an interface. There, they could select suggested topics they would like to see more of, or search for and enter their own. Users could also type in topics they did not want to see as much of from the same screen.
Instagram explained that the feature could help the algorithm better adapt to users’ changing moods and interests. For example, if a favorite football team is having a bad season, a user might want to see fewer football-related posts for a while.
Threads offers a different kind of app experience where posts, replies, and updates move faster, particularly as news breaks. It may make less sense for users to delve into settings every time they want to make changes. A more real-time interface for tagging the algorithm could work better.
Users on text-focused social apps are accustomed to using tools where they reply to posts to take action. Beyond tools that organize long threads, X users also regularly tag Grok to ask questions about posts.
Also, Mosseri said Instagram is getting a makeover that will reorient the experience around Reels, direct messages, and recommendations. Instagram did not provide further information about when or if the algorithm configuration feature would launch publicly.