By Matt Underwood Dutch court orders Meta to change Facebook and Instagram to default to non-profiled timelines, and this could be a real game-changer. It’s about time we got a bit of control back over our feeds, isn’t it? Imagine opening Facebook or Instagram and seeing posts from your friends and family, in the order they were posted. No more random articles from who-knows-where, no more curated content designed to keep you scrolling. Just the people you actually care about, sharing their lives.
This change, ordered by a Dutch court, mandates that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, must offer users a “direct and simple” way to opt out of the algorithm-driven timelines. They’re essentially forcing Meta to make a reverse-chronological feed the default option, giving users the choice to switch to the personalized version if they wish. It’s like a social media reset, focusing on genuine connections instead of engagement metrics.
The core of the issue is how these algorithms work. They’re designed to show you content that’s deemed “engaging,” which often means content that’s sensational, controversial, or simply clickbaity. And while the aim is to keep people on the platform longer, the unintended consequence can be the spread of misinformation, the amplification of negativity, and a generally toxic online environment. This court order seems to be a direct response to these concerns, recognizing that the current design of these platforms may not align with the European Union’s Digital Services Act.
One of the major frustrations with the current algorithmic approach is that it often feels like a constant barrage of ads and suggested content, pushing the posts of friends and family far down the list. This shift back to a chronological timeline would address this problem directly, letting you see what your friends are posting, when they post it. No more having to scroll endlessly to find the people you actually follow. This could be a welcome change for those who miss the simpler days of social media, when it was easier to stay connected with friends and family.
The lack of control over what we see has eroded the social connection that social media once facilitated. It’s easy to remember when Facebook was a way to keep up with your friends’ lives, and make connections with new people, but now, those connections are drowned out by recommended content and ads. This court order attempts to restore some of that lost functionality by putting the focus back on the user’s connections.
This isn’t to say that algorithms are inherently evil. They can certainly be useful for filtering out irrelevant content and highlighting things you might be interested in. However, when they become the primary driver of what you see, they can quickly become a problem. This is why the court order specifies that users should have an easy way to choose the non-profiled timeline.
Some users have already found their own solutions, like platforms such as Mastodon and BlueSky, which offer reverse-chronological feeds as the default. These platforms are designed to give the user more control over what they see, and they are thriving because of it.
The court’s decision is a win for user choice and a step towards a more transparent and user-friendly social media experience. It acknowledges the downsides of over-personalization and gives users the power to decide how they want to interact with their feeds. While the effectiveness of this change remains to be seen, it’s a positive sign that someone, somewhere, is listening to the concerns of the users. It’s a sign that we, the users, are getting a voice.