Instagram new features to view posts in chronological order

After years of complaints, Instagram users have finally won one of their biggest battles. Instagram’s parent company Meta announced Wednesday that the app is bringing back the option to view certain feeds chronologically, nearly five years after the move to an algorithm-curated feed was made.

Previously, Instagram users were shown posts based on an algorithm designed to show the most relevant posts first. But the change caused a wave of backlash when it was first announced, amid fears it would bury recent posts in favor of better-performing posts.

Now Instagram has rolled out the Favorites and Follows features. If you choose Favorites, posts will be highlighted from a list of people you choose while Following will show posts from the people you follow, but both options will show posts in reverse chronological order, with the most recent posts first.

“We’re always working on new ways to improve your Instagram experience,” Instagram said in a statement on Wednesday. “We’ll continue to build features like Favorites and Follows to give you more choice and control over what you see, and to make the time you spend on the app feel more intentional.”

The change was first launched by Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri in a 2021 Senate subcommittee inquiry into Instagram’s role in keeping young users safe. Mosseri agreed that while targeted ads play a valuable role in the user experience, users should have the right to experience Instagram with a chronological feed.

An Instagram spokesperson confirmed to CBS News that while chronological order is now an option, the algorithm-based feed will remain the default, so users must manually choose the Favorite or Follow option.

“We know from research that people have a better experience on Instagram with a ranked feed, so we won’t put people in a chronological feed by default,” Instagram added.

The company also said it will still add featured posts to the feed, but those posts will be based on users’ interests and only added “over time.”

We heard you –– some of you always want to see latest Tweets first. We've switched the timeline back and removed the tabbed experience for now while we explore other options. https://t.co/euVcPr9ij6

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) March 14, 2022

The news comes just a week after Twitter also ditched its algorithm-ranked homepage for a chronological display.

Source: CBS News