Why Am I Seeing So Many Suggested Posts On Instagram Feed?

Are you seeing a lot of ‘you may also like’ posts on your home feed on Instagram? Well, you aren’t the only one whose home feed is swamped with suggested posts.

Earlier, the suggested posts on Instagram would appear at the bottom of your home page but with the new Instagram update, it’s impossible to reach the “You are all caught up” part of the feed.  The reviews are divided on the new Instagram update as this time Instagram isn’t just showing the users suggested posts, it’s also telling them why they are seeing particular posts. Interesting, isn’t it?

In this article, we will dive deeper into this new algorithmic update and find out ways you can customize your home feed and take back some control over what you see on Instagram!

Why Are Suddenly Suggested Posts On Instagram Appearing Within My Home Feed?

• Instagram’s New Update: The new Instagram update is sprinkling suggested posts within the feed instead of throwing them at you all at once at the bottom of the feed. The suggested posts are now shown in between the posts from the people you follow. If you don’t pay attention, it’s difficult to realize the content you are consuming is suggested by the algorithm and not something you’re subscribed to. Well, that’s the goal! To get you engrossed.
• Trying To Replicate Tiktok’s Endless Feed: This new suggested post update is an attempt by Meta to replicate the mind-blowing success of Tiktok’s endless feed.  Users are shown more of what they have previously liked and engaged with, widening their content consumption window and stealing a couple more hours from their life!
• Getting Rid Of Instagram’s “You’re All Caught Up” Notice: Now that IG is sneaking a ton of suggested posts on your home feed, it’s a little difficult to reach the end of the feed. Almost impossible, some might argue. But it doesn’t hurt to try!

Well, the bottom line is that Instagram wants users to spend as much time as possible on their platform and the suggested posts update is just another way they can bill in the user’s time on their feed.

Now that you know why Instagram is throwing so many suggested posts your way, let’s find out how the algorithm decides which posts to show.

How Does The Instagram Algorithm Decide What Posts I See On My Feed?

Although it might feel diabolical how IG is tricking us into spending more time on the platform, it’s letting us in on the secret of how it plans our feed for a change. If you have been wondering how the Instagram algorithm works then you will love this new update as it gives us a sneak peek into how the algorithm decides what suggestions to show a user. Instagram now shows why they are suggesting a particular post to you above the header of the post.

Here’s how the IG algorithm plans our suggested posts:

Based On What You Watch On Your Explore Page

Did you think Instagram only tracks the content you like or comment on? Uh-huh, you naive little squirrel! The super-intelligent Instagram algorithm follows your every move on the platform. It tracks the seconds you spend reading the caption of a post to the time you spend going through a new profile.

And based on that, it suggests new content that will interest you and which you probably wouldn’t have some across on your own. So if you even watch a post for an extra second or watch a reel till the end, Instagram registers that as a green flag and suggests you more of that.

Based On What Kind Of Posts You Like/Comment

If you like any of the suggested posts then IG shows you content similar to the one you liked. The algorithm picks up on the topic of the content you liked and suggests posts similar to that on your home feed. It also registers the content type and suggests content that matches the topic and content type.

For example, if you liked a reel on dancing that had Spanish music, the algorithm will suggest you more Spanish dancing reels. Not just any dancing videos, Spanish dancing. Not posts, reels! It’s gotten that specific.

Think of all the posts/reels you have ever liked on the platform, IG algorithm takes each of those into consideration while showing you suggested posts/reels on your IG home page.

Based On What You Save

One of the most important engagement metrics today is the ‘Save’. If you save a post/reel from a profile you follow, IG understands that this content is very important to you, so it goes ahead and procures similar content for you and adds it to your home feed as suggested posts/reels.

Based On Your Interests

Your overall interests play a crucial role in deciding what you see on your Instagram home feed.

Can I Control What I See On My Instagram Home Feed?

Yes, you can absolutely control what kind of content you see on your IG home feed by re-training the Instagram Algorithm. Normally, you don’t pay much heed to your activity on the platform nor a thought to how you are training the algorithm by your liking, commenting, saving, and just viewing content. This is the recipe for giving up full control of your home feed to the smarts of the algorithm. But its’ never too late to get back in control.

There are a number of ways you can customize your IG home feed and thereby the quality of your suggested posts:

• Switch to your favorites feed: You can now switch between different feeds on Instagram. Unlike the normal home page, the favorites feed only shows content from profiles that you have selected. Here you have complete control over what you see on your IG feed. Customize your favorites feed carefully. It can be your safe space, away from the algorithm’s mind games.

• Turn off Suggested Posts: Instagram gives users the option to snooze suggested posts for 30 days after they click on the ‘not interested’ option for a suggested post. This way you can get relief from the intruding suggestions for a month.

• Unlike all the posts you liked that you are no longer interested in: Find all the liked posts on Instagram from the settings and unlike the posts that you aren’t interested in anymore. This will erase the data that is fueling a certain kind of content suggestion that you don’t like.
• Notify the algorithm every time you come across a post you don’t like: We have a bad habit of ignoring the things we don’t like. But when it comes to retraining the algorithm, it’s imperative that you make the effort of hitting “Not Interested” when you don’t like something. Similarly, like a post you enjoy. In short, make your preferences obvious.

• Be more conscious of the content you consume on IG: Last but definitely not least, be conscious of your activity on the platform.

Conclusion

Instagram is dead set on becoming an engaging content hub where viewers spend most of their free time. While the suggested posts on Instagram can be intruding, they are an excellent way to explore and discover new profiles and content in your preferred niche. If you take a little effort to consciously interact with the content on the platform you can make the most out of this new feature update.