Instagram’s algorithm is the definition of a mixed bag. True, it does a decent job in the Reels department, and we might even chuckle after a few minutes on the Home page, but the Explore page is truly a travesty. For something algorithmic, it does a terrible job of picking up our interests and displaying relevant content. Instagram knows it, too. That’s why it has developed what it calls a “Recommendations Reset” or “Fresh Start”.
Insta gratification
Instagram describes the feature as being a boon to its renewed interest in protecting teens, citing its desire for everyone to enjoy “safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences.” Any account will be able to use the feature when it launches but Instagram hasn’t explicitly stated when that’ll be, other than “soon”.
It’ll take just a few clicks in the settings before you can truly experience a “fresh start”, which resets the algorithm across your entire account. That means no picking and choosing which sectors of the app you’d like reset, which would have been ideal to give our Explore feed a much-needed do-over.
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Resetting won’t be easy, either. You’ll need at least a couple of days of hard work – scrolling, liking, and sharing – to restore your feed to its former glory. Instagram will also allow users to review the people they are currently following, and offer a simple way to cull their following, en masse.
It’s worth mentioning that performing a hard reset will not delete the data Meta has collected on you. That data will continue to sit in a vault somewhere while Meta serves up the same old ads you’re already used to, or sells it on to the highest bidder. Don’t expect to see any sort of fresh start there anytime soon.
