Instagram chief warns an algorithm-free feed would boost brand posts and reduce time on the app

# What Mosseri told journalists

Mosseri argued that reverse chronological feeds reward the accounts that post most frequently. He listed friends, creators and brands in increasing order of posting frequency and said brands would dominate reach when frequency becomes the main determinant.

# Australian policy context

The comments were made as the Australian government proposed laws that would force social platforms to prompt users to choose between an algorithm-recommended feed and a reverse chronological feed showing only followed pages. The proposal is one of several measures the government plans to introduce to address online harms.

# Instagram's response and transparency move

Instagram launched an "Algo Confessions" series in Australia aimed at explaining how its ranking systems work. Mosseri acknowledged that ranking can "feel like a black box" and said Instagram is working to give people more control, including options to opt out of recommendations on specific topics.

# Claims about addiction and engagement

The article also references recent US litigation where Meta's lawyers conceded that people can struggle with social media use. Meta later settled the case for US$18bn while denying wrongdoing.

# Trade-offs Mosseri outlines

Mosseri described a tension between what an individual user might prefer and the effect of scaling that preference across the entire community. He said removing ranking can reduce overall engagement and user satisfaction because a feed driven purely by recency incentivizes volume over quality.

He acknowledged ranking is imperfect and that the company sometimes over-optimises for metrics it can measure while undervaluing harder-to-measure signals.

# What Instagram says it will offer users

• Educational content (Algo Confessions) showing how ranking decisions are made.
• Settings to opt out of recommendations for certain topics.
• A suggested future feature where models could explain why specific content appears in a user's feed.

These steps aim to give users more actionable control without abandoning ranking.

# What to watch next

Watch for how Australia's proposed law is finalized, whether other markets pursue similar opt-out requirements, and how Instagram's controls and transparency efforts change what people actually see in their feeds.

If platforms implement reverse chronological options, expect debate over how much reach shifts back to high-frequency posters and whether that reduces overall engagement.