Instagram has launched two chronological feed options that won’t show you suggested posts. However, its app still defaults to the algorithmic feed.
Two chronological feed options on Instagram
Instagram head Adam Mosseri argued onTwitterthat the two new sorting options “give you more choice and control over what you see.” These new chronological feeds include either only posts from specific accounts or your followers. They won’t show you any suggestions based on what Instagram’s algorithm thinks you might like. One of the new feeds lets you browse the latest posts from accounts that you follow—in the exact order they were posted—which is something that the Instagram community has been demanding for years now.
https://twitter.com/ahockley/status/1506679466021453828
These chronological feeds are now available in Instagram for iPhone:
So far so good, but the devil is in the details—Instagram still defaults to showing you its algorithmically-based feed. What’s more, switching between “Favorites” and “Following” is only possible from the algorithmically-sorted “Home” feed, by hitting the Instagram logo. Read:How to post longer videos to your Instagram stories
Why Instagram won’t open with a chronological feed
Users have been criticizing Meta-owned Instagram ever since the service made algorithmic sorting the new default. Making chronological feeds harder to access is something thatTwitter has tried as well, much to the dismay of its user base.
So that’s where we stand today: Those who prefer to browse their feed chronologically will need to manually switch to the “Home” feed every time they launch the app. Instagram clearly wants you to stay in the “Home” feed where it could show you ads and have its algorithm decide which posts to show you first.
When asked why the app defaults to algorithmic sorting, a spokesperson toldCNETthat folks have “a better experience on Instagram with a ranked feed.” We’re sure someone at Instagram has put together a research paper to support that extremely unlikely conclusion, but ranked feeds are pretty much universally hated everywhere.
“We won’t be defaulting people into a chronological feed”
Sadly, that won’t be changing anytime soon. A spokesperson has stated that Instagram “won’t be defaulting people into a chronological feed.” Hmm, why wouldn’t you at least let us set which feed we’d like the app to launch into by default?
While none of the above is ideal, at least we got two new feeds with chronological sorting options. As for the “Home” feed, looks like it might soon shove even more content you don’t care about down your throat. According to Mosseri, Instagram will over time “add more recommendations to your feed based on your interests.” Read:How to permanently delete your Instagram account
