Instagram Overhauls Reels Algorithm to Prioritize ‘Original Content’
Aggregated content, however, will be downgraded.
When Instagram launched Reels in 2020, the app was angling to compete with TikTok in the short-form video space – what it didn’t anticipate was the vast proliferation of aggregated content.
As larger accounts and meme pages aggregate videos, original creators miss out on being credited and potentially earning followers and even being compensated for their work. To combat aggregators, Instagram is overhauling its algorithm for Reels.
Like all of Instagram’s updates, CEO Adam Mosseri relayed the news with an explainer video posted to his personal account. When the algorithm spots a reposted piece of content in the “recommended” Reels, it’ll automatically replace it with the original video. While the aggregated video won’t be automatically removed from the poster’s account, it will be tagged with a label that links it back to the original, visible to all viewers.
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More broadly, Instagram will be removing aggregators from recommendations, particularly when they exhibit a pattern of posting unoriginal content. Mosseri specified that only those who “didn’t enhance” the content risk removal, so users that frequently “Remix” Reels – a feature similar to “duetting” on TikTok – should be safe.
Mosseri noted that the feature hasn’t gone into effect immediately but rather will be rolled out in the coming months.
