Instagram chief Adam Mosseri is pushing back against the idea that social media automatically becomes better when recommendation systems disappear.
Speaking with journalists in Australia, Mosseri warned that removing algorithmic ranking from Instagram could reduce engagement, weaken content discovery, and make feeds more repetitive. His comments come as Australian policymakers consider rules that would give users more control over whether algorithms shape what they see.
Mosseri Says Chronological Feeds Can Reduce Engagement
Mosseri argues that chronological feeds sound simple but do not always produce a better experience. Instagram users follow different types of accounts, from friends and creators to publishers, brands, and businesses. Without ranking, the platform would mainly sort posts by time, which could allow high-volume accounts to dominate the feed. According to Mosseri, Instagram has previously seen significant engagement declines when users switch away from ranked feeds, suggesting that people may like the idea of chronological content more than they actually enjoy using it.
Creators Could Lose Discovery Without Instagram’s Algorithm
The concern is especially important for creators because Instagram’s recommendation system does more than arrange posts from followed accounts. It also helps creators reach people who have never seen their content before. Reels, Explore, suggested posts, and other recommendation surfaces allow smaller accounts to appear outside their existing follower base. If Instagram moves too far toward a chronological system, creators could become more dependent on their current audience and have fewer opportunities to reach new users.
High-Volume Brands Could Gain an Advantage
A chronological feed could also reward accounts that publish more frequently. Large brands, media companies, and commercial publishers often have the resources to post several times a day, while individual users and smaller creators may publish much less often. If recency becomes the main ranking factor, those high-volume accounts could occupy more space near the top of the feed. Mosseri believes this could unintentionally make Instagram feel less personal, even though chronological feeds are often promoted as a way to restore more authentic social interaction.
Australia Is Pushing for More Algorithm Choice
Australia is considering a different approach to the issue. Policymakers are looking at ways to give users greater control over recommendation systems, including the ability to reduce or disable algorithmic personalization. The debate is tied to broader concerns around online safety, excessive engagement, and the role platforms play in deciding which content receives the most visibility. From a regulatory perspective, lower engagement is not necessarily a negative outcome if it means users have more control over what they consume.
Instagram Already Offers a Chronological Following Feed
Instagram technically already gives users access to a more chronological experience through its Following feed. This view prioritizes posts from accounts that users already follow and displays them in reverse chronological order. The feature, however, is not the default experience, and many users may not use it regularly. Mosseri has acknowledged that Instagram could make these controls easier to find, which raises a wider question about whether offering a feature is enough if most users rarely notice it.
Default Settings Remain a Major Part of the Debate
The debate is not only about whether Instagram should offer chronological feeds. It is also about which experience appears automatically when the app opens. Defaults influence behavior because most users tend to stay with the option placed directly in front of them. Instagram’s main feed remains heavily shaped by ranking and recommendations, so users who prefer chronological content need to actively select another view. Regulators increasingly see that distinction as important because the default experience gives platforms significant influence over what people see first.
Instagram Wants Users to Shape the Algorithm Instead
Rather than eliminating ranking, Instagram appears more interested in making its recommendation system easier to control. Features such as Your Algorithm are designed to let users influence the topics and interests that shape their feeds. This approach allows Instagram to keep the benefits of personalized discovery while giving users more direct input into the process. It also reflects Meta’s broader position that recommendation systems are not necessarily the problem, but users should have better tools for adjusting how those systems behave.
The Debate Goes Beyond Instagram
Instagram is not the only platform built around algorithmic recommendations. TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, and other major social platforms increasingly rely on systems that predict what users are likely to watch, click, or engage with next. These systems have become central to modern social media because they help platforms surface content beyond a user’s existing network. At the same time, they have attracted criticism for encouraging excessive scrolling, amplifying controversial content, and reducing transparency around why certain posts appear.
Brands and Marketers Would Need to Adjust
Any major reduction in algorithmic ranking would change how brands approach Instagram. Under the current system, strong content can gain visibility even when it is posted by an account with a relatively small following. A chronological system would place more emphasis on posting time, publishing frequency, and an account’s existing audience. That could push marketers toward higher posting volumes, while creators may need to focus more heavily on follower retention rather than recommendation-based discovery.
Creators Still Depend Heavily on Recommendation Systems
For creators, the debate is complicated because algorithms can be both frustrating and valuable. Ranking changes can suddenly reduce reach, and creators often have little insight into why certain posts perform better than others. At the same time, those same systems can introduce their work to millions of people who would never have discovered them through a simple follower feed. Removing algorithms could solve some transparency concerns while creating a new problem around limited organic discovery.
Instagram’s Algorithm Debate Is Really About User Control
The larger question is not whether algorithms should exist at all. It is how much control users should have over them. Instagram believes recommendation systems make the platform more relevant and engaging, while regulators are increasingly focused on giving users meaningful alternatives. The strongest pressure may eventually push platforms toward a middle ground where algorithmic feeds remain available but users can easily switch, customize, or permanently choose another experience.
What Happens Next Could Reshape Social Media Feeds
The Australian debate could become an important test for how social platforms handle recommendation systems in the future. If users receive a clear and persistent choice between algorithmic and chronological feeds, platforms may finally get a better picture of what people actually prefer when the options are equally visible. For Instagram, that could mean proving that ranking genuinely improves the experience rather than simply remaining the default because it drives more engagement.
Sources
Social Media Today: “Instagram chief warns against eliminating algorithms”
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-chief-warns-against-eliminating-algorithms/830130/
ABC News Australia: Reporting on Adam Mosseri’s comments and the Australian algorithm debate
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-10/instagram-ceo-adam-mosseri-algorithm-laws/107136992
Associated Press: Reporting on Australia’s proposed social media algorithm rules
https://apnews.com/article/1eee351b39f22b340ef289c792f7993b
Social Media Today: Reporting on Instagram’s Your Algorithm controls
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-extends-your-algorithm-to-the-main-feed/822576/
