Adam Mosseri did something Instagram executives don’t do very often: he picked a public fight with a government, on the record, about the algorithm marketers love to complain about. On 10 September 2026, the head of Instagram stood in front of Australian reporters and defended algorithmic ranking outright, arguing that switching it off leaves people with a worse experience, not a better one. That’s not just platform gossip. It’s a useful reminder of what actually gets content seen on Instagram in 2026, and what your content strategy should be doing about it.
Instagram's Algorithm Is Being Defended, and Here's Why That Matters
Two days before Mosseri’s briefing, the Australian government had unveiled a proposal that would force platforms like Instagram to prompt users with a genuine choice: keep the algorithmic feed, or switch to a plain chronological one. It sits inside a wider “Digital Duty of Care” framework, nicknamed the “My Feed, My Way” bill, which could carry fines of up to $100 million for non-compliance.
Mosseri wasn’t there to discuss the bill. He was there to promote a new Instagram series called Algo Confessions and a feature called Your Algorithm, designed to let people see, and tweak, some of what shapes their feed. The government proposal came up anyway, and while a Meta spokesperson said Mosseri wouldn’t comment on the legislation directly, he volunteered his view on chronological feeds. That’s the part worth paying attention to.
What Did Adam Mosseri Actually Say?
Direct answer: Mosseri said that switching off Instagram’s algorithm in favour of a chronological feed makes the “average user experience” much worse. Drawing on Instagram’s experience in markets that already offer the option, he said engagement can fall by as much as 50%, and that satisfaction, both overall and post by post, “falls off a cliff.” His explanation: a chronological feed rewards whoever posts most often, and that’s rarely your friends. It’s brands, publishers and companies with the resources to post constantly, drowning out creators and the people you actually follow for personal reasons.
He also confirmed Instagram already offers a chronological “Following” feed (tap the Instagram logo, then select “Following”), but almost nobody uses it. His own estimate: “low single digit percentages” of users, partly because the option isn’t obvious, and partly because it quietly reverts to the algorithmic feed every time you close and reopen the app.
Why Instagram Uses Algorithmic Recommendations
This isn’t happening in isolation. The EU has required large platforms to offer a non-algorithmic feed option since 2023, and a Dutch court went further in October 2025, ordering that a chronological feed be the default rather than an option users have to find. In the US, Meta agreed last month to a $23 billion settlement with 29 states, including giving teenagers the choice of a chronological feed, following accusations that Instagram was designed to keep young users hooked. Mosseri, for his part, doesn’t think Instagram is addictive in a clinical sense, though he accepts people use the word casually, and that the distinction can sound like a technicality from the outside.
Wherever you land on that debate, the marketing takeaway is simple: ranking and recommendation systems aren’t going anywhere. If anything, this whole episode proves how central they are to what gets seen. Instagram isn’t defending an algorithm out of stubbornness. It’s defending a distribution system, and the businesses that understand how that system works have a real edge over those still treating it as a black box.
What the Instagram Algorithm Means for Your Reach
Here’s the part most “algorithm explainer” content skips: Instagram doesn’t run one algorithm. It runs several, one each for Feed, Stories, Reels and Explore, weighing signals slightly differently depending on what it’s trying to show and to whom. Treating “the algorithm” as a single, mysterious force is exactly how outdated myths (post at 7pm! never use more than three hashtags!) stay alive. It’s far more useful, and more accurate, to treat every surface as its own audition.
That word, audition, matters, because Instagram’s recommendation systems actively push content to people who don’t yet follow an account. Reach isn’t the same as follower count. A business with 2,000 followers can be shown to tens of thousands of people who’ve never heard of it, provided the content gives Instagram a reason to recommend it. It’s the same underlying logic that Generative Engine Optimisation runs on: the systems deciding what gets surfaced, whether that’s an AI answer engine or an Instagram feed, are looking for evidence that real people find something worth their attention.
The Ranking Signals Marketers Should Pay Attention To
Mosseri has been consistent on this point since he confirmed it directly, via an Instagram Reel that was widely reported at the time: the top three signals for ranking are watch time, likes and sends. He added one useful nuance: likes carry slightly more weight for content shown to your existing followers, while sends carry slightly more weight for content shown to people who don’t follow you yet.
Likes tell Instagram your current audience is into it. Sends tell Instagram it’s worth showing to someone new.
Why Watch Time, Likes and Sends Matter
- Watch time is Instagram’s proxy for “was this worth someone’s time.” It rewards content that holds attention, not necessarily content that runs long. A ten-second Reel someone watches twice will beat a ninety-second Reel someone abandons after four.
- Likes are a resonance signal: they tell Instagram your existing audience recognises itself in what you posted.
- Sends are the strongest vote of confidence available, because someone liked the content enough to put their own name next to it in someone else’s inbox. Content people send is content people feel says something about them, which is a much higher bar than content people simply scroll past and tap once.
Why Original, Relevant Content Still Matters
None of this rewards guesswork. It rewards specificity. Content made for “everyone” tends to earn weak signals across the board, because it doesn’t earn a strong reaction from anyone in particular. Content made for a clearly defined audience, carrying a clear opinion, example or piece of real expertise, tends to earn stronger watch time, likes and sends, because it actually means something to the people seeing it. Reposted or recycled content, unsurprisingly, tends to underperform on all three. Instagram has said as much for years: original work gets a longer runway than content that’s already been circulating elsewhere.
How Businesses Should Adapt Their Instagram Content Strategy
A few practical shifts, drawn straight from what Mosseri has said publicly:
- Build for a specific audience. Vague content earns vague signals. Know exactly who the post is for before you write it.
- Win the first three seconds. Watch time is decided early. If the hook doesn’t hold, nothing after it gets watched.
- Give people a reason to send it. Useful, funny or “this is so us” content gets shared privately far more than polished, generic brand content.
- Bring something original. An opinion, a behind-the-scenes example, real copywriting, not a repost.
- Treat every format as a test. Don’t assume Reels will always beat carousels, or vice versa. Let the data decide, then double down on what’s working.
What to Track in Instagram Insights
Rather than watching follower count, which is a lagging and mostly vanity metric, keep an eye on:
- Average watch time, per post and per format
- Likes per reach, not raw like counts
- Sends per reach, arguably the number most worth obsessing over
- Reach among non-followers, which shows whether recommendations are actually working in your favour
Instagram Algorithm to Action
A quick way to translate what the platform is measuring into what you should actually post:
Signal | What It Tells Instagram | What To Do About It |
Watch time | People are staying with the content, not scrolling past it | Open strong in the first three seconds, tighten pacing, cut the dead air |
Likes | Existing followers recognise themselves in the content | Speak to a clearly defined audience, not a generic “everyone” |
Sends | People trust it enough to share it privately | Make it useful, funny or specific enough that someone wants to say “this is us” |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What did Adam Mosseri say about Instagram’s algorithm?
He defended it, arguing that switching to a chronological feed makes the average user’s experience significantly worse, citing engagement drops of up to 50% and steep declines in satisfaction, during an Australian press briefing on 10 September 2026.
- How does the Instagram algorithm work in 2026?
There isn’t one single algorithm. Instagram runs separate ranking and recommendation systems for Feed, Stories, Reels and Explore, each designed to predict what a specific person wants to see on that particular surface.
- What are the most important Instagram ranking signals?
Watch time, likes and sends, confirmed directly by Mosseri. Likes matter slightly more for reach among your followers, and sends matter slightly more for reach among people who don’t yet follow you.
- How can I improve my Instagram reach?
Create content for a clearly defined audience, open strong to hold watch time, and give people a genuine reason to send it to someone else. Reach beyond your existing followers depends on earning those signals, not on posting-time hacks or hashtag tricks.
- Do likes, watch time and sends affect Instagram reach?
Yes. They’re the three signals Instagram has publicly confirmed matter most for ranking, across both Feed and Reels.
- Does Instagram prioritise original content?
Yes. Reposted or recycled content generally underperforms original content on watch time, likes and sends, and Instagram has repeatedly pointed creators and brands toward original work over reposts.
- How should businesses adapt their Instagram content strategy?
Stop trying to “beat” the algorithm and start creating content people genuinely want to watch, like and send. Track the signals that show whether that’s happening, and adjust based on evidence rather than assumption.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to outsmart Instagram’s algorithm. You need to understand what it’s trying to surface, and then give it a reason to surface you. That’s the part most “algorithm hack” content skips over, and it’s exactly where a proper social media management plan, backed by real consulting, earns its keep. If you’d like a second pair of eyes on what your Instagram content is (and isn’t) earning, get in touch with We Do Digital. We do this for a living (and we do it well).
