Instagram Head: Engagement Drops 50% Without Algorithmic Feed

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has warned that user engagement can drop by as much as 50% when users opt out of the platform's recommendation system. The revelation comes as Meta faces increasing regulatory pressure in Australia to give users more control over how their content is ranked.

Speaking during a press briefing in Australia, Mosseri stated that switching to a chronological feed significantly reduces the time users spend on the app and their overall interaction levels. He argued that without the algorithm to curate content, the user experience suffers because chronological feeds often become "overwhelmed with content from companies, brands, and publishers," which effectively drowns out posts from friends and independent creators.

The Regulatory Battle

This pushback arrives as the Australian government consults on a "Digital Duty of Care" legislative framework. If passed, the bill would require social media platforms to actively prompt users to disable algorithmic ranking, making the opt-out process more transparent and accessible.

Instagram is not the first to navigate these waters. The platform reintroduced chronological feeds in 2022 following political pressure in the United States, though the feature remained an optional setting. Similarly, the European Union's Digital Services Act has required large platforms to provide non-profiling feeds since 2023, although user adoption of those features has remained modest.

Metrics of Success vs. Harm

The conflict underscores a fundamental ideological divide between Meta and global regulators. For Meta, high "time spent" and engagement metrics are viewed as primary indicators of product success and user satisfaction. From the company's perspective, a drop in engagement is a sign that the product is failing to provide value to the user.

Conversely, Australian legislators view these same metrics through a different lens. Regulators argue that the very mechanisms designed to maximize engagement can contribute to digital addiction and other psychological harms. By mandating prompts to disable ranking, the government aims to reduce the compulsive nature of algorithmic feeds, even if it results in lower usage statistics for the platforms.

What to Watch

As Australia continues its consultation on the Digital Duty of Care bill, the industry will be watching to see if the government prioritizes user autonomy over the platform's engagement metrics. It remains to be seen whether Meta will offer further concessions or if the legislation will trigger a broader shift in how recommendation systems are presented to users globally.