The next evolution of social media: user-controlled algorithms

For years, social media giants have controlled what users see in their feeds. People could follow accounts, like posts, and hide content they didn’t enjoy, but a recommendation algorithm controlled what they saw.

Now, social platforms are handing over some of that power by allowing users to personalize their algorithms with the help of AI.

Beyond the traditional “Not Interested” button, apps like Threads, Instagram, and TikTok are starting to introduce tools that allow people to train their own algorithms and influence what shows up in their feeds.

This change reflects an evolution in the way recommendation systems work. Social media feeds are moving from one-size-fits-all TV channels to more akin to streaming services, where users can tailor recommendations to their interests and have more control over what they watch.

For users, the benefit of a customizable algorithm is a feed tailored to their interests. For social media giants, it’s a way to boost engagement by showing people the content they’re most likely to consume.

Here’s a look at how social media platforms can give users more control over recommendation algorithms.

thread

On June 16, 2026, Threads launched a new “Your Algo” feature, building on the platform’s “Dear Algo” tool that debuted in February. The “Dear Algo” tool allows users to influence their feed by publishing public posts such as “Dear Algo, show me more posts about podcasts” indicating the type of content they would like to see more or less in their feed. The new “Your Algo” feature allows users to make these settings privately without posting them publicly.

Users can tell the thread that they want to see more or less of a particular topic and choose the duration of their request (1, 3, or 7 days). For example, you can ask to watch more baseball content and less stressful news.

Instagram

In early June, Instagram released a new tool that lets you see and control the algorithm across your feed. This tool, called “Your Algorithm,” allows you to view the topics that form the recommendations and customize them to your interests. The tool was released for the Reels feed in December 2025, but is now available across Feeds, Explore, and Reels.

When you access the tool in your settings, you’ll see the topics Instagram thinks you’ll be most interested in. You then tell the app what you’re interested in, what you’d like to see more or less of, and it adapts its recommendations accordingly.

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said social media ranking models have traditionally been built using technology that is not transparent to users, but now large-scale language models (LLMs) can make recommendation systems more understandable by showing why content is being shown and allowing users to explicitly communicate their preferences.

TikTok

TikTok has a “Topic Management” tool that gives you more control over what appears in your “For You” feed. Launched in 2024, the feature can be accessed through Settings to customize your preferences for a variety of topics, including sports, travel, humor, current events, dance, food, and more. To do this, move the slider to adjust how much or less of that type of content you want to see in your For You feed.

If you’re not sure what type of video fits into a category, click the Info button next to the topic. For example, TikTok says its “Creative Arts” topic includes “painting, drawing, graphic design, and art-related tutorials.”

In 2025, TikTok expanded its topic management tools by introducing an AI-powered smart keyword filter that automatically limits content that contains related keywords, such as synonyms. For example, if you use the topic management tool to exclude “home improvement,” TikTok will also exclude “renovation” and “renovation.”