Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri gave further explanation about the return of the chronological feed or feeds arranged in chronological order of upload.
Mosseri had previously promised the return of this feature when speaking before the United States Senate last week. In a Q&A on Instagram Stories, Mosseri said Instagram is piloting two versions of the chronological feed and plans to launch it early next year.
One version of the chronological feed is the Favorites feature, which Instagram is currently testing. This feature allows users to choose their favorite accounts and the content of those accounts will be displayed at the top in chronological order.
Another version is a regular chronological feed where users can see posts from the accounts they follow in chronological order. But Mosseri didn't explain how recommendation posts would be inserted in this feed.
As is known, when it was launched in 2010 Instagram has a chronological feed that sorts the content in the feed according to the time of upload.
But these feeds were removed in 2016 and replaced with feeds that are sorted by an algorithm based on user activity and preferences. Since then, the chronological feed has become one of the most requested features by Instagram users.
When asked when the two types of feeds will launch, Mosseri said it would be soon. Instagram is currently testing the Favorites feature, and a standard chronological feed will be released shortly thereafter.
Mosseri also stressed that the return of chronological feeds does not mean Instagram will eliminate feeds compiled by algorithms. He said users can choose how to display content in the feed according to their preferences, just like what Twitter offers.
"We will not leave the rankings at all. We will give people the option of using a chronological feed," said Mosseri, as quoted by The Verge, Tuesday (14/12/2021).
"But at a high level, we believe that rankings help us connect people with the content that matters most to them."
