The set of ranking systems a platform uses to decide which posts each person sees and in what order. Instagram says it does not have one single algorithm; Feed, Stories, Reels and Explore each rank content using signals such as what you have liked, shared, saved and watched.
Example
Meera's followers do not all see every post. Instagram ranks her new carousel against everything else her followers could see, using signals such as how often they interacted with her account before.
How you'll hear it
“The algorithm is pushing Reels to non-followers, so let's not judge them by follower engagement.”
Don't confuse it with
- Chronological feed: shows posts in time order with no ranking.
- Shadowban: an informal claim that an account is being hidden, not the normal ranking itself.
Related terms
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Sources
- Instagram Ranking Explained, Instagram, 2023