How is the content we are shown selected? Which "signals" are most valuable? How can you target the algorithm and influence what you see on the Feed, in Stories, in Reels? Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, revealed this to us.
The algorithm, this stranger.
"It's hard to trust what you don't understand." So begins the long article, signed by Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, published a few days ago directly on the company's blog, entitled "Shedding More Light on How Instagram Works."
The reference is to the famous "algorithm," i.e., that set of factors that decides which posts to show and to which people, thus decreeing the success or failure of a strategy, as mysterious as it can be in the social sphere, difficult to understand, precisely, in its kaleidoscopic facets and the mechanisms that govern it. While there is, Mosseri explains, a single method of operation for the algorithms (yes, it's not just one!), they actually work "tailored" to the way people use the app, using "thousands of signals" to determine what appears in their Feeds or Explore section. "When we first launched in 2010," the CEO continues, "Instagram was a single stream of photos in chronological order. But as the number of users on the platform grew by leaps and bounds, it became impossible for most people to see everything. In 2016, Instagram users were missing 70 percent of all posts in the Feed, including almost half of the posts of their close contacts. So we developed and introduced a Feed that ranks posts by what you care about most. Each part of the app -- Feed, Eslpora, Reels -- uses its own algorithm tailored to how people use it."
Within the article, the head of Instagram then sought to clarify the complex mechanisms that govern what we then actually view in the various sections of the app, and he also offers some tips on how to have more control and try to improve the visibility of our posts. Let's look in detail at what happens at the Feed, Stories, Explore and Reels level.
Feeds and stories, prioritize the closest contacts. And niches!
"Over the years," Mosseri writes, "we have learned that Feeds and Stories are places where people want to see content from their friends, family and those they are closest to. Therefore, the first rule of the algorithm is precisely to immediately isolate recent posts shared by the people closest to us, that is, those we follow." This clearly applies to family and friends, but also to the famous "niches," i.e., those specific sets of users who share specific needs and preferences with us. Are you a photography enthusiast and do you have people with the same passion among your contacts? Do you interact frequently with them? Well, Instagram will isolate them and more easily show you their posts. Next, what Mosseri calls 'signals' are taken into account. There are thousands of them. "They include everything," he explains, "from the time a post was shared to your use of a phone or the Web, to how often you like videos.
The most important signals in Feeds and Stories, more or less in order of importance, are:
- Information about the post. These are those signals about the popularity of the post, but also more mundane information about the content itself, such as when it was published, how long users stayed on that post/video;
- Information about the person who posted. How important is the person who published that post to you? How many times have you interacted with that person in the last few weeks? Well, the answers to these kinds of questions are the signals that the algorithm gives relevance to;
- Your activity. The algorithm takes into broad consideration your preferences, what and how much content you particularly liked;
- The way you interact. The "signals" referred to here are related to how you interact with a particular person's posts. An example is whether or not you comment on other people's posts.
From these indications, Mosseri explains, Instagram makes a series of predictions, regarding, as far as the Feed is concerned, "the likelihood that you will spend a few seconds on a post, comment on it, like it, save it, and click on the profile picture. The more likely you are to take an action and the more we weigh that action, the higher you will see the post."
Alongside these basic rules, there are then tricks or measures to counter the excessive number of posts by a single person (his or her posts are "penalized" in terms of visibility) or those contents that go against the Community Guidelines, i.e., fake news.
Explore beyond close contacts
Explore, Mosseri explains, is designed to help you discover new things. Very different from Feeds and Stories, where the vast majority of what you see comes from the accounts you follow, Explore has a grid that is made up of photos and videos that Instagram has identified and isolated just for you, based on signals such as, for example, posts you have liked, saved, and commented on in the past.
The most important signals that the algorithm takes into account, in order of importance, are:
- Post information. This refers to the popularity of the post, specifically the number and speed with which other people like, comment, share, and save a post. These signals are much more important in Explore than in the Feed or Stories.
- Interaction with the person who posted. Most likely the post was shared by someone you have never heard of, but if you have interacted with them in the recent past, this gives Instagram an idea of how interested you might be in what they shared.
- Your activity. Posts that you have liked, saved, or commented on in the past right in Explore are considered as important signals.
- Information about the person who posted. What you see on Explore also depends on the amount of users who have interacted in the last few weeks with the person who posted.
Reels, watchword "fun"
Reels are created with the goal of entertaining you. The process of ranking Reels is very similar to that which makes up the Explore grid: first the Reels that Instagram thinks you might like are identified, then these are sorted by how much it thinks you might enjoy them.
The most important signs, in order of importance, are:
- Your activity. It's those signals that help Instagram figure out what content might be relevant to you, what you liked and interacted with the most;
- Interaction with the person who posted. As in Explore, it is likely that the video was made by someone you have never heard of, but if you have interacted with them in the recent past this provides an idea of how interested you might be in what they shared;
- Reel Information. These are signals about the content present within the video (even the audio track, for example!), and its popularity;
- Information about the person who posted. The more popular that person is, the more chance we will have to get in touch with his or her Reel.
How to "drive" the algorithm and influence what you see
"The way you use Instagram," Mosseri concludes, "heavily influences the things you see and don't see. You can help improve your experience simply by interacting with the profiles and posts you like."
Instagram's CEO, in closing, gives more explicit advice on what you can do to influence what you see:
- Select your close friends or create your niche, with whom you share your passion, work, interests. Interact with them a lot and make sure you create content that, in turn, is interesting to them;
- Turn off audio: for Instagram, it is a "negative" signal, showing that you are not interested in what they have to say;
- Flag posts with "Dislikes" -this way the algorithm immediately understands that you don't like that type of content, format, or topic.
To hear, or rather read, Mosseri, the only real rule that moves Instagram's algorithm (or rather algorithms!) is the desire to provide you with a better experience by trying to select content that might interest you the most. Maybe there is something else too, in fact definitely, but for now ... that's okay!
Annalisa Nastrini
Digital content coordinator and senior brand ambassador |Digital Innovation Days.
