● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Experimenting with a non-algorithmic social media feed for 24 hours
Key points
- Experimented with Instagram's chronological feed option for 24 hours.
- Prompted by Australian government's proposed 'my feed, my way' reforms.
- Unfollowed non-personal accounts to simulate an older social media experience.
- Feed ran out of content quickly, showing an 'End of following' message.
The Algorithm's Influence
The author describes a personal reliance on social media algorithms for content discovery, citing an example of an algorithmically presented video of eels on a train. This highlights the curated nature of modern social media feeds.
Prompt for Experimentation
The experiment was inspired by the Australian government's announcement of reforms, dubbed 'my feed, my way,' which would mandate social media platforms to offer users the option to opt out of algorithmic feeds. This legislative push aims to give users more control over their content consumption.
The 24-Hour Challenge
For 24 hours, the author manually configured Instagram to display posts from followed accounts in chronological order, mimicking early social media feed structures. This involved unfollowing approximately 100 accounts that were not personal contacts, including news sources, politicians, and influencers, to create a more 'authentic' experience.
Results and Reflections
The experiment quickly led to the feed running out of content, with Instagram displaying an 'End of following' message after only about 10 minutes of scrolling. This contrasted sharply with the endless scroll of an algorithmic feed. The experience evoked nostalgia for 2012, when social media feeds were simpler and focused on a smaller circle of connections.
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Reporting from
An individual experimented with turning off Instagram's algorithm for 24 hours to experience a chronological feed from followed accounts. This test was prompted by Australia's proposed reforms to allow users to opt-out of social media algorithms. The experiment resulted in a quickly exhausted feed and a sense of nostalgia for earlier social media experiences.