Chronological Feeds for Instagram Reels and Stories Rolled out in Europe
Instagram and Facebook will soon offer Stories and Reels in chronological order to European users — as Meta prepares to comply with the European Union’s (EU) new Digital Services Act (DSA).
In a blog post published today, Meta announced that Instagram and Facebook users in Europe would be getting more options to opt of the company’s recommendation algorithms.
According to Meta’s president of global affairs Nick Clegg, European users will be able to access features like Reels, Stories, and Search on Facebook and Instagram without seeing content that’s been ranked by Meta’s recommendation algorithms.
“For example, on Facebook and Instagram, users will have the option to view Stories and Reels only from people they follow, ranked in chronological order, newest to oldest,” Clegg writes.
“They will also be able to view Search results based only on the words they enter, rather than personalized specifically to them based on their previous activity and personal interests.”
Traditionally, Instagram and Facebook users have limited ability to view parts of the services using chronological feeds without algorithmic recommendations. Although, Instagram did introduce an exclusively time-based, chronological feed in March last year.
In the blog post, Clegg also announced that Meta had released an expanded Ad Library to offer more transparency on ads that run on its platforms, provided further details on its recommendation algorithms, as well as introduced new limits on how advertisers can target teens.
Giving Online Users More Control
Meta’s latest changes relate to new DSA rules that require very large online platforms to allow their users to opt out of receiving personalized content — which relies on tracking and profiling user activity.
The EU’s DSA is aimed at offering users more control over their online experiences and holds tech giants accountable for content moderation.
It now requires social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to offer users the choice to see content recommendations that are not based on tracking and profiling their activity on the platform.
Earlier this month, TikTok also announced that European users would soon be able to opt out of its powerful content-selection algorithm to meet DSA requirements.
To comply with the DSA, TikTok is also making changes related to content moderation and transparency. European users aged 13-17 will no longer see personalized ads based on their activity. Older users can already turn off personalized ads in the settings.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
