I've been wondering lately what the algorithm is actually feeding us under the guise of "personalization." For some, it's a success story in discovery, but for others, organic reach feels almost extinct. Do you think Instagram's algorithm truly reflects user interest, or is it just padding marketers' pockets? Have you encountered any blatant misuse of it?
Is Instagram's algorithm fair now?
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I've been dealing with the exact same issue lately. My micro-content account (Reels) used to get around 100K views daily, but after the last three months of updates, it dropped to an average of just 30K. My research shows that the "Reels recommendation" system seems to favor accounts that run ads, especially small ones that don’t rely on organic growth.
On the other hand, I’ve seen a friend who sells handmade products—her reach went from 200K a month to just 15K overnight. But when she boosted a post with $100 a week, the algorithm suddenly started pushing her content like crazy. In my opinion, this isn’t just about "attention allocation"—it’s exactly what happens when companies with big marketing budgets decide to pay for visibility.
I recently heard about another case: a small architecture page that was getting 50K daily views organically. When a glass installation company started paying for ads, the architecture page’s posts completely disappeared from Explore. This clearly shows that Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes "who pays more" over content that users are actually interested in.