Instagram explains its recommendation algorithm and “shadowbanning” misconceptions
Instagram is once again trying to explain how its recommendations work in an effort to dispel “misconceptions” about how the app’s algorithm works and whether the company is “shadowbanning” some users. In a new blog post from Adam Mosser, CEO of Instagram, he offers one of the most detailed explanations yet of how the app categorizes content in different parts of the app.
“Instagram doesn’t have a single algorithm that controls what people do and don’t see in the app,” explains Mosseri. Instead, he says there are many algorithms and ranking systems that support different aspects of the app, such as Explore, Reels, Stories and Search. Each uses different signals to determine how content is ranked for each user.
For example, the order of posts in your main feed is determined by your past activity and past interactions with the person who created each post. Likewise, Stories posts take into account viewing history as well as “proximity,” or “how likely you are to be connected as friends or family.” On the other hand, Explore’s recommendations are largely based on “posts you’ve liked, saved, shared, and commented on in the past,” but are more likely to come from accounts you’ve never interacted with.
One of the most interesting parts of Mosser’s blog post is called “Shadowbanning Handling”. Mosseri points out that there is no universal definition of the word, but admits that many content creators “use the term to imply that a user’s account or content has been restricted or hidden without a clear explanation or justification.” He says the company is working to be more transparent about when content creators or their accounts are banned from app recommendations.
Specifically, it calls out the app’s “Account Status” feature, which can alert users if any of their posts or accounts are deemed “ineligible” for referrals. The feature also provides a resume process. While this isn’t the first time Instagram has dealt with this issue, which has been the subject of much speculation and conspiracy theories over the years, there has been a notable shift in the way the company talks about “shadow banning.”
In a similar post two years ago, Mosseri wrote that “The truth is, most of your followers won’t see what you share because most of them view less than half of their feed.” Now, he says, Instagram is working to increase transparency in cases where a creator’s content is not widely distributed due to a policy violation. “If something makes your content less visible, you should know about it and be able to complain,” he wrote.
He added that Instagram is testing “new notifications to help creators understand when their reel’s reach is limited due to a watermark” (the company has tried to prevent users from posting recycled TikToks to their reels for years).
While some creators may still find these explanations unsatisfying — and there are more than a few in that camp, judging by the comments on Mosser’s own Instagram post — the new details highlight just how central Instagram recommendations have become. Although the app has reintroduced an optional timeline feed, Mark Zuckerberg said the goal is to make Instagram and Facebook a “discovery engine” that focuses more on recommendations than posts from friends.
