Facebook lets users steer their algorithm with plain language

Facebook is the latest social media platform to give users greater control over the algorithm that determines what appears in their feeds. Meta announced the launch of “Your Algorithm” on Tuesday — an AI-powered feature it first introduced on Instagram — which lets Facebook users shape the content they see in Feed and Reels by describing their preferences in their own words, in natural language. Rather than relying entirely on automated recommendations, users can now tell the platform directly which topics and content they want to see more or less of.

Meta says the feature is designed to make content recommendations more relevant. Users can adjust their preferences and interact with the algorithms responsible for ranking and recommending posts, with changes reflected in their recommendations in real time. The company has also updated Facebook’s three-dot menu, making it easier for users to manage content preferences directly from individual posts: opening the menu lets users access “Your Algorithm” or select “Interested” and “Not interested” to flag whether a piece of content matches what they want.

Meta says the platform may also ask follow-up questions to better understand what users liked or disliked, letting them give more detailed feedback and explain what they want to see more or less of, which helps Facebook refine its recommendations based on their responses.

The launch reflects Meta’s broader push to give people more influence over their social media experience as AI increasingly shapes content discovery, signaling a shift away from the traditional recommendation systems that have shaped social media for years and bringing the platform closer to streaming services that let users personalize recommendations based on their interests. It also builds on Meta’s existing personalization efforts across its other platforms: Instagram introduced Your Algorithm in June, extending customization across Feed and Explore after first launching the feature for Reels in December 2025. Threads has introduced a related feature of its own, called “Dear Algo,” which lets users influence the content recommended to them.

Why it matters

As generative AI tools make it easier to build personalization directly into the interface, feed algorithms are shifting from a one-way system users tune by scrolling to one they can instruct directly — a dynamic likely to spread to other Meta surfaces and to rivals chasing the same engagement signal.