18/11/2021
A funny thing recently happened to a friend of mine on Instagram. She had spent a few weeks searching for baking inspiration in the form of cakes, brownies, and cookies. When she went to her Explore feed, she was expecting to find it full of similarly frosted treats. Instead, it was full of w**d.
This isn't very Instagram' fault, however it's an unintentional error that may occur once you have a machine-based algorithmic program in place. At its core, the Explore tab and therefore the algorithm behind it exist to reveal users to new photos and profiles they may like, supported the interests they've already expressed elsewhere on the app. For example, it considers who you follow and that photos you like.
To protect in case the algorithm goes wrong, Instagram has implemented a solution: if you tap a photo you don't like in Explore, click the ellipsis in the top right corner. From the menu that appears at the bottom of the screen, select "Show fewer posts like this". That particular image will be removed from your screen (there is also an option to select "Undo" if you've accidentally done so), with Instagram promising to "show fewer posts like this one from now on". Although an Instagram spokesperson says this won't change your feed immediately, comments over time will help keep your Explore tab evolving. The following hashtags can also help you choose your feed.