If you’re someone who loves scrolling mindlessly through Instagram’s recommended Reels and clips, then you’ll love this news.
Instagram has just announced that it will be making its manual algorithm control function available to all English-speaking users – enabling them to define the Reels they want to see, and let Instagram know exactly what they’re interested in.
How Does the Manual Control Work?
The rollout of this latest algorithm update is inspired by an increasing desire among users to control what they see – and what they don’t see.
It works by giving users access to a ‘Your Algorithm’ page. Here, they can add and remove topics that they find interesting, giving Instagram further insight into the kind of content they want to watch and will engage with.
What Are the Benefits?
From new users to veteran Instagram influencers and content creators, the benefit from a user perspective is the increasingly personalised and tailored Reels stream available to them. When you have more control over what Instagram shows you, you can gradually filter out the content you don’t want to see, and tailor your feed according to your interests.
What does this mean for ad content, we hear you ask?
Well, it means that those posting to increase their followers and boost their engagement, will need to be even clearer with their use of hashtags and captions – letting Instagram know exactly what their content is about, to ensure it shows up in the right feeds!
While there are lots of Instagram users who won’t use this feature and will instead continue to scroll through videos and only watch those that appeal to them, this – and the introduction of a ‘Top 3 Topics for 2026’ selection offered to Instagram users – is sure to make the Reels page an even more valuable asset for creators and businesses on Instagram!
