Instagram CEO Warns Algorithm-Free Feeds Would Flood Users With Brand Content

Instagram chief executive Adam Mosseri has warned that an algorithm-free experience would degrade the user experience, flooding feeds with brand content and reducing time spent on the platform.

The remarks arrive as the Australian government moves to mandate algorithmic choice. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled a proposal requiring social media platforms to offer users a choice between an algorithmically ranked feed and a reverse-chronological feed of followed accounts. The Labor government also intends to implement broader measures targeting online harms.

Speaking at a Thursday briefing to launch Instagram’s “Algo Confessions” series in Australia—its first expansion outside the United States—Mosseri did not address the Albanese proposal directly. He noted, however, that Instagram relies on multiple algorithms governing everything from Story rankings and message suggestions to the main feed.

The Australian launch marks the series’ debut outside the United States. It features creators and celebrities explaining how the platform curates feeds and how users can exert control via interest tags in their settings.

Mosseri characterized the demand for reverse-chronological feeds as coming from a “very vocal minority,” arguing that such a model merely incentivizes high-frequency posting.

“The most effective way to gain reach becomes simply posting more often,” he explained. “Those with the resources to post at the highest frequency capture the most visibility.”

“Friends post far less than creators, who in turn post far less than brands and corporations.”

The result, he warned, is that users would be “overwhelmed” by brand content, drowning out posts from creators and personal connections.

“Users lose interest and engage less, shrinking the overall reach pie,” he said. “That triggers a cycle where creators grow frustrated by declining distribution.”

Ultimately, he argued, both engagement and user satisfaction decline.

“There is a tension between what an individual might prefer and the systemic consequences when that preference is scaled across the entire community,” he observed.

Mosseri acknowledged that ranking systems are imperfect. “We over-optimize for measurable signals at the expense of harder-to-quantify value,” he admitted.

He conceded the algorithm “feels like a black box” but highlighted efforts to increase user agency, such as the ability to filter recommended topics.

Looking ahead, he suggested Meta’s AI models might eventually let users converse with the app to understand why specific content appears in their feed.

On the subject of platform addiction, Mosseri rejected the clinical label. “I don’t believe Instagram is addictive—I know that’s controversial,” he said. “Colloquially, we conflate ‘addiction’ with binge-watching a show, but clinically, addiction involves withdrawal symptoms, which social media does not produce. Those are distinct phenomena.”

The distinction arises amid ongoing legal scrutiny. In a landmark US case regarding the addictive design of Meta’s products, company counsel recently conceded that users can struggle with social media use, though they noted the existence of mitigating tools. Meta subsequently agreed to an $18 billion settlement while denying wrongdoing.

Source link