You're also dependent on the algorithm's intelligence. For example, yesterday's news story might have been really popular on social media so appears in the feed, but it's not relevant anymore. Not-so-recent posts can crop up in an algorithmic feed, so they may no longer be relevant. The biggest drawback of algorithmic feeds is that you might be looking at irrelevant content. So, while posts considered interesting will be shown at the top, if you keep scrolling you'll still see every new post since you last used the app. Both Twitter and Instagram have clarified that the algorithm only affects the order of the posts–it doesn't hide or delete any content. This can be especially useful to catch up on notable events or posts from your favorite accounts when you haven't logged in for a while.Īlgorithmic feeds won't cause you to miss out on any content. So, it makes sense to reorder the feed to put things you will like at the top. Instagram estimates that users miss around 70 percent of their feed, which is especially painful for those trying to maximize their Instagram exposure. You may discover new content you wouldn't have otherwise seen. Algorithmic feeds try to show you more of what they predict you'll like, and often it does a fairly good job. There are some good intentions behind these algorithmic timelines, besides good business for the social media platform.

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