Social media platforms restore user control over algorithmic feeds
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Social media companies including Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are introducing new features that allow people to manually adjust the content they see on their feeds.
These updates aim to give users more agency over their digital experience after years of platforms prioritizing automated recommendations based on user data and engagement. Instagram and Facebook now include a feature called Your Algorithm.
This tool lets people see which topics the apps believe they enjoy and allows them to add interests or remove specific topics they want to avoid. Tessa Lyons, Vice President of Product at Instagram, explained that advancements in artificial intelligence now allow the platforms to understand human language. This means users can tell the app exactly what they want to see or avoid, rather than the platform only guessing based on past interactions.
TikTok and YouTube are also expanding user customization. TikTok added a Manage Topics feature that lets people adjust the amount of content from categories like fashion or fitness on a sliding scale. It also includes smart keyword filtering to remove videos containing specific flagged words. YouTube recently announced custom feeds, which allow people to create dedicated tabs for specific interests like workout videos or ASMR. While these tools aim to provide more control, some experts question their effectiveness.
Tim Weninger, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, noted that people often engage with content that upsets them, which can confuse algorithms. Additionally, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan stated that these features are about letting viewers program their feeds rather than providing a way to filter out all AI-generated content.
