Social media platforms including Threads, Instagram, and TikTok have introduced tools that let users directly shape the algorithms controlling their feeds, moving away from a model where platforms alone determined what content people saw.
The most recent development came on June 16, 2026, when Threads launched a “Your Algo” feature. It builds on the platform’s earlier “Dear Algo” tool, which debuted in February 2026 and allowed users to influence their feed by publishing a public post stating their preferences — for example, “Dear Algo, show me more posts about podcasts.” The new feature lets users make those same requests privately. Users can specify topics they want to see more or less of and set a time limit of one, three, or seven days.
Instagram rolled out a similar tool called “Your Algorithm” in early June 2026. The feature, which first launched for the reels feed in December 2025, is now available across the main feed, Explore, and Reels. It shows users the topics Instagram believes they care about and lets them adjust those preferences directly. Instagram head Adam Mosseri noted that recommendation models have historically lacked transparency, but that large language models can now help explain why content is shown and allow users to communicate preferences explicitly.
TikTok has offered its “Manage Topics” tool since 2024, letting users adjust sliders to control how much of a given topic — such as sports, travel, or food — appears in their For You feed. In 2025, TikTok expanded the feature with AI-powered Smart Keyword Filters, which automatically extend a filter to related terms. Filtering out “remodeling,” for instance, will also suppress “renovation” and “renovations.”
Platforms have a clear incentive alongside user benefit: according to the source reporting, more personalized feeds are expected to boost engagement by surfacing content users are more likely to consume.
Source: TechCrunch