The next evolution of social media: user-controlled algorithms

For many years, social media giants have controlled what users see in their feeds. While people could follow accounts, like posts or hide content they didn’t enjoy, recommendation algorithms control what they are shown.

Now, social platforms are handing over some of their power by allowing users to customize their algorithms with the help of artificial intelligence.

Beyond traditional “not interested” buttons, apps like Threads, Instagram, and TikTok are starting to offer tools that allow people to train their own algorithms and influence what appears in their feeds.

This shift reflects an evolution in how recommendation systems work. Social media channels are moving away from a one-size-fits-all TV channel and toward something more like a streaming service, where users can adjust recommendations based on their interests and have more control over what they see.

For users, the advantage of customizable algorithms is a feed tailored to their interests. For social media giants, it’s a way to boost engagement by showcasing content that people are more likely to consume.

Here’s a look at how social media platforms are giving users more control over their recommendation algorithms.

Topics

On June 16, 2026, Threads launched a new “Your Algo” feature that builds on the platform’s “Dear Algo” tool, which debuted in February. The “Dear Algo” tool allows users to influence their feed by publishing a general post, such as “Dear Algo, show me more posts about your podcast,” indicating the types of content they want to see more or less in their feed. With the new “Your Algo” feature, users can make these preferences privately, without having to post publicly.

Users can tell topics they want to see more or less of certain topics and choose how long the request will take: one, three, or seven days. For example, you can ask to watch more baseball content and less stressful news.

Instagram

In early June, Instagram launched a new tool that lets you see and control the algorithm across your feed. A tool called “Your Algorithm” lets you view the topics that make up your recommendations and customize them to better suit your interests. The tool was launched for the Reels feed in December 2025, but is now available across Feed, Explore and Reels.

Once you access the tool in your settings, you’ll see the topics Instagram thinks you care about the most. You can then tell the app what interests you and what you want to see more or less, and your recommendations will be adjusted accordingly.

Social media classification models have historically been built using technology that wasn’t transparent to users, but now large language models (LLMs) can make recommender systems more understandable by showing why content is being viewed and allowing users to explicitly express their preferences, said Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram.

Tik Tok

TikTok features a “Manage Topics” tool that gives you more control over what you see in your “For You” feed. Launched in 2024, you can access the feature in your settings to customize your preferences for different topics, such as sports, travel, humor, current affairs, dance, and food. You can do this by moving the slider to adjust how much you do or don’t want to see this type of content in your For You feed.

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

In 2025, TikTok expanded its topic management tool by introducing AI-powered smart keyword filters, which automatically limit content containing related keywords, such as synonyms. For example, if you use the topic management tool to filter for “redesign,” TikTok will also filter for “renewal” and “renewals.”