Instagram Testing Improved Content Recommendation Controls; Working on Filtering Content Using Hashtags, Emoji

Users can now select multiple posts from the Explore tab and mark them as "not interested" to improve recommended posts displayed in the app.

Written by David Delima | Updated: 31 August 2022 01:38 IST

Instagram Testing Improved Content Recommendation Controls; Working on Filtering Content Using Hashtags, Emoji

Photo Credit: Instagram

Previously, users would have to manually mark individual posts they weren't interested in

Highlights

Instagram has started testing improved controls for suggested posts
Suggested posts are displayed on the Explore tab and the Instagram feed
Instagram is working on filtering content from people you don't follow

Instagram is introducing changes to its application to enable users to inform the service about posts that are recommended to them. In a move that appears to be aimed at improving the algorithm used to serve users with customised content based on their actions and activity on Instagram, the company says it will make it easier for users teach the service to recognise posts that they aren't interested in seeing in various sections of the app that serve personalised content.

The Meta-owned service announced in a blog post on Tuesday that it has begun testing the ability to allow allow users to select multiple posts in the Explore tab, and to inform the service that they are not interested in those posts. Until now, Instagram users would have to open (or long press) a post and indicate that they were not interested in the post, which could be a tedious process when the Explore feed is filled with irrelevant posts.

Instagram is also working on allowing users to filter out strangers' posts containing specific hashtags and emoji, preventing them from showing up in their feed, the company explained in the post.

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Back in March, the photo and video sharing service introduced the ability for users to view posts from accounts they follow in a chronological order, with two new feeds — Following and Favourites. With Following, users will see 30 days of posts in chronological order without suggested posts, while Favourites will let them choose to see posts from up to 50 accounts they follow.

Users can also 'snooze' suggested posts for a month at a time, by tapping the X on the top right corner and selecting Snooze all suggested posts in feed for 30 days. Users can also adjust their Sensitive Content Control settings on Instagram to customise the types of content they see on the service.

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This week, we discuss Android 13 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: Instagram, Recommendations, Algorithm

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More