Instagram reveals how its algorithm works

Luke Meredith

Ever since Instagram ditched a chronological content feed in favour of using its own algorithm to tailor content, users have wondered exactly how the platform works and why they see what they see.

Now, the major social media platform has released details on how its algorithm works for ranking content.

A new video from Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, paired with its own blog post, shares some valuable insight into how rankings works in different features of Instagram, including Feed, Stories, Explore and Reels.

For the most part, Mosseri declares that much of the data Instagram uses to tailor content comes from users themselves. This is particularly true for Stories, which tracks how often and to what extent a user interacts with another account to rank where this account appears in the Stories feed. There is a similar system in place for Reels; the content that users share, like and save greatly influences the content they see next.

Principally, Mosseri states that there is no one single algorithm used by Instagram to oversee what users see on the app, suggesting that every user’s experience on the app is personalised differently.

The blog post and corresponding video claim the intended goal is ensuring that creators on Instagram have all the relevant information they need to maximise their reach on the platform. Mosseri dismisses the idea that Instagram ‘shadowbans’ content from particular users to stunt its reach, as this would not make sense for it as a business to prevent users from interacting with content.

Despite Instagram’s efforts to display transparency, reaction to Mosseri’s video in the comment section on his Instagram page were primarily negative, suggesting that many users’ issues with the platform are not being suitably addressed.

Even so, it can only positive for creators to have a better idea of how to increase their reach with the content they provide on social media. For expert advice on this exact topic, why not book your place at our next Social Media & Content Masterclass in July?