The news: Instagram added an algorithm personalization tool that lets users decide what shows up in their content feeds.

• The new tool, called Your Algorithm, surfaces topics that Instagram thinks users are interested in and lets them add more of the ones they like and remove ones they don’t like.
• The feature is available across Reels, Explore, and Feed. In addition to topics, Your Algorithm will let users decide which “moods, vibes, or content types” they want to see in the future, Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote in a Threads post.

The algorithm systems that social networks developed have reduced users’ agency and created a “one-sided” conversation with content, giving users a feeling that social media experiences are shaped for them, not by them, Mosseri said. He added that AI will, in the future, be able to create “entire bespoke experiences” tailored to users in real time.

The bigger picture: The feature could be a boon to user control, potentially increasing engagement and time spent if users feel their feeds better reflect their interests. For brands, this could help ad content feel more native and create opportunities for ad experiences that are tailored to the topics, formats, and content types that users want to see.

Making content feel relevant could also help boost plateauing engagement—we expect average time spent per day on Instagram will stay flat at 17 minutes in 2026 and 2027 and grow to just 18 minutes by 2028.

The caveat: Users may still doubt Meta’s commitment to control and transparency because, while the new tools let people influence content recommendations, Instagram’s ranking systems might still make most decisions.

• If users see the tool as offering only marginal influence over what they see, its impact on time spent could be limited.
• Past controversies around data collection could also make some users see the feature as a data grab rather than a transfer of control to consumers.

Implications for brands: Your Algorithm shows an investment in preference-based personalization, which could ultimately give marketers deeper insights into what consumers actually want to see. Brands will need to align creative and messaging with preferred interests to maintain visibility and engagement.

However, if users filter their feeds toward potentially niche interests, brand posts may disappear from feeds, which could complicate customer acquisition and make creative differentiation more important.