If your Instagram feed tends to feel like it's the same people over and Erotice Herculesover again — there's a good reason for that. The app really does show some accounts more often than others.
The photo-sharing app introduced a new feature that lets you view which of your follows are "most shown in feed" and who is "least interacted with." The new feature, which is rolling out now, will appear when you look at your "following" list in your profile.
The update is Instagram's latest effort to peel back the curtain a bit about how its feed works. Instagram users were famously unhappy when the app switched from a chronological feed to an algorithmic one in 2016. That change has been the source of many memes and conspiracy theories ever since.
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To be clear: Instagram has said — repeatedly — that it doesn't "hide" certain posts or "shadow ban" accounts. And, if you scroll through your feed enough, the app will show you every post from every person you follow. But posts from certain accounts do tend to rank higher and you can now view exactly whose posts you're seeing the most.
While its latest update will take some of the mystery out of how Instagram's algorithm works, it won't let you actually do anything about it. When you view the new categories, there's no way to move someone from the "least interacted with in feed" to "most shown in feed." So, if you're not happy with how your list breaks down, your best bet is to make use of the apps mute or unfollow feature. Or, you can always try to interact more with posts from the people you actually want to see.
Topics Facebook Instagram Social Media