Instagram expands “Your Algorithm” across the app, giving users more control over what they see
Instagram is bringing its “Your Algorithm” tool to the main feed, giving users more say over the content they see. Here’s what the update means for artists, creators, and music discovery on the platform.
Instagram is continuing its push towards greater transparency and user control by expanding its “Your Algorithm” feature beyond Reels and Explore to the main feed. The update gives users more visibility into how Instagram’s recommendation systems work, while also allowing them to directly influence the topics that shape their experience across the app.
As users now have more ways to tell the platform exactly what they want to see, it’s sure to shake up how artists, musicians, producers, and labels get discovered on the platform.
Instagram’s “Your Algorithm” tool is coming to the main feed
Instagram first introduced “Your Algorithm” for Reels in late 2025 before expanding it to Explore earlier this year. Now, the company is bringing the feature to its main feed, making it available across most of the platform’s key discovery surfaces.
The tool allows users to view the topics Instagram believes they’re interested in and adjust those interests directly.
Users can access the feature by opening Reels or Explore and tapping the icon in the top-right corner that looks like two lines with hearts. From there, Instagram displays a list of topics that influence recommendations, based on a user’s activity across the app.
People can then tell Instagram which subjects they’d like to see more of and which they’d prefer to see less of. Those adjustments are used to refine future recommendations across the platform.
According to Social Media Today, the feature gives users a direct way to influence the recommendation system instead of relying solely on passive signals such as likes, watches, shares, and scrolling behaviour.
In simple terms, Instagram is allowing people to have a more active role in shaping their own algorithm.
Why Instagram is focusing on user control
Alongside the announcement, Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared his broader thoughts about algorithms, recommendations, and user agency on social media. Mosseri shared that social feeds have changed dramatically from the early days of social media. Rather than primarily showing content from accounts people choose to follow, today’s feeds are increasingly populated by recommendations from creators and accounts users have never interacted with before.
That shift has helped platforms keep feeds active and improve content discovery. However, Mosseri suggests it has also reduced the sense of control users have over their experience.
As he explained, the system constantly learns from what people watch, like, and share, but users have historically had very little opportunity to directly tell the algorithm what they actually want.
“Your Algorithm” is Instagram’s attempt to address that imbalance by making recommendation systems more visible and easier to influence.
What does this mean for artists?
For musicians, this update reinforces a reality that has been shaping social media for years: recommendation systems play a huge role in content discovery.
Instagram’s algorithm already influences which creators, songs, videos, and trends reach new audiences. Giving users more control over those recommendations doesn’t remove the algorithm’s importance, but it does make audience relevance even more valuable.
The creators who consistently reach the right people are likely to be those producing content that clearly aligns with specific interests and communities.
In other words, trying to appeal to everyone may become even less effective than it already is. Artists who build content around identifiable themes, genres, scenes, aesthetics, or fan interests may find themselves better positioned when users actively tell Instagram what they want to see more of.
Whether that’s indie rock, hyperpop, metal, electronic music production, vinyl collecting, songwriting tips, live performance clips, or music memes, clear audience signals can help both users and algorithms understand where your content belongs.
The bigger picture: discovery is becoming more personalised
The most interesting part of this announcement may not be the feature itself, but what it says about where social platforms are heading.
According to Mosseri, future AI systems could allow people to customise far more than just recommendation topics. He envisions a future where apps can generate increasingly personalised experiences in real time, potentially tailoring interfaces, features, and content to individual users.
While that vision is still some way off, the direction is clear. Social platforms are moving beyond one-size-fits-all feeds towards increasingly personalised experiences.
For artists, that means discovery may become less about chasing broad viral moments and more about connecting with highly relevant audiences who actively want the type of content you’re creating.
The good news is that independent artists are often well-positioned for this shift. Niche communities, dedicated fanbases, and clearly defined creative identities can thrive when recommendation systems become better at matching people with the content they’re most interested in.
Don’t forget the music itself
While social media algorithms continue to evolve, one thing remains unchanged: audiences still need access to your music.
Instagram remains one of the most important platforms for music discovery, with tracks regularly finding new audiences through Reels, Stories, posts, and user-generated content.
Distributing your music to Instagram’s music library ensures creators and fans can use your tracks in their content, helping increase exposure across the platform.
With RouteNote, artists can get their music onto Instagram and other major streaming and social platforms while retaining full ownership of their work. As Instagram continues refining how people discover content, making your music available wherever audiences are spending time remains an important part of any release strategy.
More control, but algorithms aren’t going anywhere
Instagram’s latest update gives users more visibility into the recommendation systems shaping their experience, and that’s likely to be welcomed by many people who want greater control over their feeds.
At the same time, the change doesn’t signal the end of algorithmic discovery. If anything, it highlights just how central recommendation systems have become to modern social media.
For artists, the takeaway is simple. Create content that clearly speaks to a specific audience, build genuine engagement around your music, and make sure your tracks are available across the platforms where discovery is happening.
The algorithm may be evolving, but the goal remains the same: helping the right people find your music.