Khaberni - In a move that reflects a fundamental shift in social communication philosophy, Instagram announced it surpassed 3 billion active monthly users, coinciding with the launch of new settings that give users direct control over the suggested content algorithms.
Instagram, a subsidiary of Meta Platforms, revealed that the number of its active monthly users has reached more than 3 billion users, marking one of the fastest growth rates in the history of digital platforms, in an unprecedented achievement in the world of social communication.
Adam Mosseri, the head of the platform, explained that this exceptional growth was driven by an increasing reliance on direct messaging services and the short video feature (Reels), alongside the smart recommendation system that has become a central element in the daily user experience.
However, the most notable surprise was Instagram's announcement of its intention to allow users to customize the algorithm settings that choose the posts and videos suggested to them, in a step aiming to enhance user awareness and control over what they see within the app.
According to a report published by the German news agency (DPA), the platform is preparing to launch a new settings page that enables the user to view Instagram's assessment of their interests, with the ability to modify them by adding or deleting topics of interest, thereby giving them broader control over the nature of the content displayed before them.
Mosseri further elaborated that users will soon be able to access a dedicated page within the settings to see “what the platform thinks interests them,” with the ability to freely modify those choices.
In the initial phase, the new experience will be limited to the short videos section (Reels), with plans to gradually expand it to include other sections of the app. Observers believe that this step represents a strategic shift in the user's relationship with algorithms, after having been for many years a “black box” that controls what appears on the screen without clear explanation.
Mosseri noted that the era of automatic guidance for social platform content is beginning to wane, with an increase in users' desire to customize their digital experiences and adjust their own algorithms, rather than just following favorite accounts.
This development comes in the midst of fierce competition with other short video platforms, prominently TikTok, which faces an uncertain future in the United States with the possibility of its operations being sold to American investors, while YouTube owned by Google is aiming to boost its presence with its "Shorts" section.
TikTok heavily relies on a precise algorithm that monitors the duration of each video viewed in order to determine the nature of the clips displayed later, a strategy that Instagram is now trying to emulate, but with the added unique feature of giving users unprecedented freedom to control their digital experience.
