Instagram has added personalization to the main feed, letting users rank topics they want to see more or less of. Options include interest categories like “rescue dogs” or “parenting humor,” but they cannot boost posts from accounts users already follow. Selecting “posts from people I follow” returns a “no results found” error. The feature is in a US test group.

Chief product officer Adam Mosseri framed the change as a push for user “agency,” arguing people should shape the app they spend hours in. He noted the shift reflects how the “following” signal faded when recommendation‑driven feeds became dominant, a move creators have complained about because their posts no longer reach most followers. He pointed out that advertisers have pushed the platform toward recommendation‑heavy experiences.

Instagram says the new controls are powered by large language models, which translate vague preferences into actionable ranking signals. Mosseri hinted at future tweaks—moods, vibes, content types—but confirmed the platform still relies on a separate “following” feed for pure chronological viewing. For now, users can only fine‑tune topic‑based recommendations, not the visibility of friends’ posts.