Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has warned users could be overwhelmed by brand and creator content if social media feeds abandoned algorithmic recommendations.
Instagram users would have a worse experience without algorithms, according to the platform’s chief executive, who warned that reverse chronological feeds could leave people overwhelmed by content from brands and prolific creators.
Adam Mosseri made the comments as Australia prepares to give social media users the option to switch off algorithmic recommendations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans this week requiring platforms to offer users a choice between algorithmically recommended feeds and reverse chronological feeds showing posts from accounts they follow.
Speaking to journalists in Australia, Mosseri said Instagram uses algorithms for a range of functions, from deciding which friends’ stories appear most prominently to suggesting people in direct messages and ranking posts in users’ feeds.
He argued that returning to chronological feeds would encourage users who can post most frequently to dominate attention.
Explaining that friends typically post less frequently than creators, while brands and companies post more than both, Mosseri said: “The best way to get more reach is just to post more often.”
He said users could ultimately become “overwhelmed” by commercial content, while posts from friends and creators could be pushed out.
Mosseri claimed this could lead people to spend less time on Instagram, reducing the amount of attention available to creators and businesses.
However, he acknowledged that Instagram’s recommendation system is imperfect and can place too much emphasis on things that are easy to measure.
He said: “Ranking is not perfect, it’s not, we make mistakes.”
Mosseri described Instagram’s algorithm as feeling like a “black box”, but said the company was working to give users greater control over the subjects they see.
The company is also launching its Algo Confessions series in Australia, featuring celebrities and influencers explaining how Instagram determines what appears in users’ feeds.
Mosseri suggested future AI systems could allow users to ask Instagram directly why they are being shown particular types of content.
He also rejected the suggestion that Instagram is clinically addictive, arguing that the term is often used casually to describe excessive use.
His comments come after a landmark US lawsuit over the alleged addictive effects of Meta’s products.
Meta ultimately agreed to an $18 billion settlement with US states while denying wrongdoing.
Researchers have argued that frequent engagement with recommendation algorithms can encourage dependency, while Australia’s government says its proposed rules are intended to give users greater control and address online harms.
Instagram chief claims users will be ‘overwhelmed’ without algorithms
