Instagram Head States Engagement Halves Without Algorithmic Feed

Algorithmic Feed Impact on Engagement

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, reported that disabling Instagram's recommendation system leads to a 50% reduction in user engagement and a significant drop in satisfaction scores. He explained that chronological feeds become overwhelmed with content from companies, brands, and publishers, causing users to miss more content and spend less time on the platform.

Context of Australian Legislation

Mosseri's comments were made during an Australian press briefing as the country consults on a draft Digital Duty of Care bill. This proposed legislation would mandate platforms to prompt users to turn off algorithmic ranking. The bill's premise is that high engagement and time spent on platforms, which Mosseri cited as negative outcomes of disabling the algorithm, are the harms the legislation aims to address.

Inconsistencies in Platform Messaging

The statement from Mosseri contrasts with Meta's previous messaging, which presented increased time on Instagram due to AI as a success. This creates an inconsistency where less time on the platform is now framed as a harm to users. Instagram has also previously reintroduced chronological feeds as an option in 2022 due to political pressure, though it required users to select it each time.

Design Challenges and User Control

Mosseri acknowledged that a purely chronological feed presents a design problem, as it fills with content from high-volume posters, often not personal connections. He also stated a desire for algorithm customization to become a core part of the app, rather than a hidden setting. The Australian proposal for a prompt offering this control highlights a disagreement not on user choice, but on the initiation and ease of access to such controls.