PostEaseThe short answer
Since 2025, every big recommendation feed has added a way to tell it directly what you want. Meta’s Instagram and Facebook call theirs Your Algorithm, Threads has Dear Algo and Your Algo, and TikTok has Manage Topics and a feed refresh. Each lets you ask for more or less of a topic, in some cases in your own words, instead of relying only on what you like, watch and skip.
For creators, the same controls work in the other direction: viewers are now choosing topics, not only reacting to posts. Knowing where the controls are helps you keep your own feed useful for research, and shows how your posts are being sorted for others.
The controls, side by side
From each company’s own announcements and help pages:
| Platform | Control | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your Algorithm | The icon of two lines with hearts at the top of Reels or Explore, or Content preferences in settings | Shows the topics shaping your recommendations and lets you add or remove them across Feed, Reels and Explore | |
| Your algorithm | The three-dot menu on a post | Add and manage topics for Feed and Reels; answer follow-up questions in your own words | |
| Threads | Dear Algo | A public post starting “Dear Algo” | Changes your feed for three days; others can repost your request |
| Threads | Your Algo | A private setting | More or less of a topic for one, three or seven days, visible only to you |
| TikTok | Manage Topics | In the app’s feed settings; TikTok’s announcement does not give the path | More or less of over 10 popular topics, such as Travel or Sports, without removing any entirely |
| TikTok | Refresh your For You feed | Settings and privacy, then Content Preferences | Starts recommendations again from popular content; cannot be undone |
When each one launched
The dates come from each company’s posts:
| Date | Platform | What launched |
|---|---|---|
| 3 June 2025 | TikTok | Manage Topics and Smart Keyword Filters, announced in the UK |
| 10 December 2025 | Your Algorithm on Reels in the US, later extended to Explore and Feed, globally in English | |
| 11 February 2026 | Threads | Dear Algo, in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand |
| 16 June 2026 | Threads | Your Algo, in those countries and Canada |
| 13 October 2026 | Your algorithm and conversational feedback, rolling out |
What a refresh does and does not touch
TikTok’s refresh is the strongest of these controls. TikTok says that after a refresh it shows you some popular content, and your reactions to it reshape your recommendations. Only the For You feed changes; your Following feed, profile, inbox and ads are not affected, and the refresh cannot be undone. The other controls are gentler: they add to the signals a feed already uses, and Threads’ requests expire after days.
Using the controls as a creator
A creator’s feed is also research. A few ways to use these controls well:
- Add your niche as a topic, so your own feed shows what others in it are posting.
- Turn down topics that pull you off course while you plan.
- On Instagram, watch for labels such as “From Running” on recommended posts; they show the topic a recommendation came from.
Questions
How do I reset my Instagram algorithm?
Instagram does not offer a full reset in the posts cited here. Instead, open Your Algorithm from the icon of two lines with hearts at the top of Reels or Explore, or from Content preferences in settings, and add or remove topics.
Can I reset my TikTok For You feed?
Yes. In Settings and privacy, open Content Preferences and tap Refresh your For You feed. It cannot be undone, and it changes only the For You feed.
What is the difference between Dear Algo and Your Algo on Threads?
Dear Algo is a public post that changes your feed for three days and can be reposted by others. Your Algo is a private setting lasting one, three or seven days.
Does Facebook let me choose topics for my feed?
Yes. Meta began rolling out Your algorithm on Facebook on 13 October 2026, in the three-dot menu, for Feed and Reels.
Sources
- Instagram, Introducing a new way to see and control your algorithm, December 2025.
- Meta, Your Algorithm, Your Words: New Ways to Shape What You See on Facebook, October 2026.
- Meta, Control your Threads feed with new Dear Algo feature, February 2026.
- Meta, New features to celebrate 500 million monthly users on Threads, June 2026.
- TikTok, Refresh your For You feed, checked October 2026.
- TikTok, TikTok Trending Summer 2025 and new ways to shape your feed, June 2025.