01What happened
The story, straight
A new TechCrunch report details how major social platforms — Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky — are rolling out tools that let users more directly shape their recommendation feeds. Threads launched a 'Dear Algo' feature where users publish public posts telling the algorithm what content they want more or less of. Instagram introduced a settings-based tool showing users the topics the platform thinks they care about most, with options to adjust them. TikTok offers a 'Manage Topics' tool for its For You feed. The shift marks a move away from opaque, platform-controlled recommendation systems toward something users can negotiate, though full algorithmic control remains with the platforms.
threads, instagram, tiktok, and bluesky are all rolling out tools that let you tell the algorithm what you actually want to see. threads has 'Dear Algo' — you literally post publicly asking for more podcasts or less politics. instagram now shows you the topics it thinks you care about in settings so you can tweak them. tiktok has a 'Manage Topics' toggle for the For You page. the feeds aren't fully user-controlled yet but the old 'we decide, you scroll' model is clearly cracking.
02Spread timeline
Where it actually started
03Source receipts
Every claim, linked
04What's solid, what isn't
What's solid and what isn't
- Threads launched a 'Dear Algo' tool where users publish public posts to influence their feed recommendations.
- Instagram released a settings-based tool showing users the topics the algorithm assigns to them.
- TikTok offers a 'Manage Topics' tool for For You feed customization.
- Bluesky is also moving toward more user-directable feed controls.
- The exact adoption rates and engagement impact of these new tools across platforms.
- Whether other platforms like YouTube and X will follow suit with similar user-facing algorithm controls.
05Why it matters
The editorial take
For years, social feeds operated as black boxes where users had minimal leverage over what appeared. These new tools represent the clearest industry-wide acknowledgment that passive engagement signals weren't enough. If adoption is strong, it could reshape how creators and brands think about reach — the algorithm becomes something you can lobby, not just guess at.
this is the first time basically every major platform is admitting the black-box feed model is broken at the same time. if people actually use these tools, creator reach strategies and brand targeting change completely. the algorithm isn't a mystery box anymore — it's a negotiation.