Algorithm for Instagram too

Because technology also needs to keep itself updated, Instagram, the photo-sharing app is all set to roll out a big change to its news feed. The social networking site plans to begin testing a new algorithm-based personalized feed, instead of showing your entire feed in reverse-chronological order. This means your feed’s photos and videos will soon be showing up in order based on your past engagement and interaction.

Instagram announced the change on its blog, saying: “The order of photos and videos in your feed will be based on the likelihood you’ll be interested in the content, your relationship with the person posting and the timeliness of the post.”

“If your favorite musician shares a video from last night’s concert, it will be waiting for you when you wake up, no matter how many accounts you follow or what time zone you live in. And when your best friend posts a photo of her new puppy, you won’t miss it.”

People’s growing network of friends and family have changed the way feeds work. Facebook changed its news feed in 2009 by switching to an algorithm largely based on the popularity of posts, among other signals. Last month, Twitter also followed the suit by introducing older, popular tweets to the top of users’ feeds, out of order, if the user had been away from the service for a time.

Given Instagram’s popularity, the move was expected sooner or later. The service is home to more than 400 million regular visitors. Kevin Systrom, the co-founder and chief executive of Instagram, told The New York Times that companies need to find ways to handle the massive amounts of content coming through. He said: “On average, people miss about 70 percent of the posts in their Instagram feed. What this is about is making sure that the 30 percent you see is the best 30 percent possible.”

Instagram’s announcement, however, did not go down well with many users who took to twitter to express their disapproval.

. @instagram any chance of having the option to turn the algorithm on/off? One of my favorite things about IG was seeing everything. 😕

— Benj Haisch (@benjhaisch) March 15, 2016

Damn, Instagram going algorithm too! Need an algorithm for all the algorithms.

— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) March 15, 2016