Why Instagram’s algorithm update could boost engagement but shrink serendipity
If you could fine-tune your Instagram feed like a playlist, would you? That’s the question behind the platform’s latest test, which lets users add or remove entire topics of interest, starting with Reels. Shelley Friesen, founder and director of Melbourne Social Co, explores.
Shelley Friesen
If you could fine-tune your Instagram feed like a playlist, would you? That’s the question behind the platforms’ latest test, which lets users add or remove entire topics of interest, starting with Reels.
At first glance, it feels like a win. Who wouldn’t want more control over what shows up in their feed? For marketers, audiences are effectively raising their hands to say “yes, I want this,” which should translate into better engagement and stronger conversions.
Like most algorithm updates, this one comes with both upsides and drawbacks – and it’s worth unpacking both.
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The upside: precision and performance
For brands under pressure to deliver ROI, the appeal is obvious. A more customisable feed means users are actively curating their content, so when your post makes it through, there’s a higher chance it resonates. You’re reaching people who have chosen to be there, who are signalling their interest up front.
That’s powerful. It’s efficient, measurable, and makes marketing feel a little less like a guessing game.
The downside: discovery at risk
And yet, something nags at me.
One of the great joys of social media is stumbling across the unexpected. The travel story that makes you think about a destination you’d never considered. A nature video that takes your breath away. A perspective from someone outside your usual circle that challenges how you see things.
If feeds become too neatly curated, those moments risk disappearing. More targeted feeds, sure. But smaller worlds.
And that’s worth considering. Because in marketing, as in life, serendipity often sparks the biggest shifts. Sometimes the best-performing campaigns are the ones that don’t just slot into an interest category but break out of it, surprising people into paying attention.
What this means for marketers
For brands, this new level of control is both an opportunity and a test.
With users literally choosing what topics make the cut, the days of passive reach are over. Content has to earn its place in the feed. If the algorithm won’t deliver audiences surprises, brands need to find creative ways to do it themselves, through storytelling, fresh formats, cultural moments, or collaborations that bring in unexpected voices.
The future won’t just reward brands that are relevant. It will reward the ones that are interesting enough to hold attention.
There’s also a cultural layer here. In a political climate that already feels divided, algorithmic fine-tuning could easily deepen the silos. The risk is that we only ever see the most extreme versions of the things we already believe, which makes it harder to relate to those who sit on the other side.
Brands and creators have a role to play in this cultural layer. Yes, we need to be relevant. But we also need to leave room for surprise, for diversity, for stories that expand the conversation instead of shrinking it.
For marketers, the challenge is to chase precision without losing breadth. To create content that converts, yes, but also content that connects with people outside the obvious audience.
Because the magic of social media has never just been about relevance. It’s about the moments you didn’t know you were looking for until they found you.
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