After testing it out over the last couple of months with selected users, Threads is now rolling out its Dear Algo algorithm refinement option to all users in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., providing a means to directly influence what types of posts users see in the app.
As shown in these example screens, now, by typing “Dear Algo” into a Threads post, along with what you want to see more of in your feed, Threads’ system will be able to use that as a signal to update your preferred topics.
The process will enable users to update their feed algorithm for a limited time, in order to see whether they would prefer more content on certain topics to be displayed. And if you do like seeing these creators and insights in-stream, you can follow more users and topics to change your in-app experience.
As explained by Threads: “Threads is where you go to keep up with what’s happening right now. But sometimes, what matters to you changes in an instant, and you want your Threads feed to reflect that – whether it’s seeing more posts during a live NBA game or less about a TV show you haven’t caught up on yet. Dear Algo is an AI-powered feature that gives you more control over what you see by letting you tell Threads what’s important to you in the moment.”
The updated settings will be in place for three days, giving you time to see how the change improves your Threads feed, or not, which can then help to guide your in-app experience.
You can also re-post another user’s Dear Algo post to change your feed.
Threads will also enable you to view your active Dear Algo requests, and to remove them ahead of time if you find they’re not for you.
So essentially, the option gives you more control over your feed algorithm, by directly informing the Threads system as to what’s grabbing your interest at any moment.
Which could help to make it a more personalized, engaging in-app experience, though it is important to note that it’s not a permanent change.
I would assume that, to some degree at least, Meta would prefer that you keep relying on its recommendations instead, which then enables the system to show you more of the most engaging content in the app, based on your detected interests, thus keeping people more engaged for longer. Which is likely why it’s not making this a permanent change option, while it could also lead to people destroying their feed with Dear Algo updates, and turning off the app entirely.
But even so, by giving you more options to refine your feed, based on seasonal and topical trends, that could help to make people feel more in control, and highlight more relevant content, at least for a period.
Manual algorithm refinement is becoming something of a trend in social media apps, with YouTube recently launching a similar, while X is also using its Grok chatbot to help users refine their interests.
Instagram, meanwhile, is also trying out a dedicated listing of topics to update your feed, so users can manually alter what they see in-stream.
These options offer more assurance, which is actually the real value, because while people do want manual control tools like this, as a means to dictate their in-app experience, and avoid the tyranny of the algorithms, in reality, most people aren’t going to use it, or use it consistently enough to make it a major element.
This has always been the case with every manual control option, even those that have been highly requested. Few people actually utilize data privacy and algorithm controls when they can, despite repeatedly raising this as an issue.
But that, I guess, isn’t really the point, the point is assurance, and the perception of control, which is just as valuable as actual input. Because once people have that control option, they feel more assured, but really, what most people axtually want, especially in a post-TikTok world, is to log on and have the algorithm show them a selection of posts that they’ll probably like.
That will continue to be the case, but tools like this give users the option, and the knowledge that they can change their feed, if they choose.
I suspect that will be the real value here, though it will also be worth testing out how the process changes your Threads feed.
