Australian social media users now have a new tool of significant power. A government initiative debuted this week takes big platforms to provide all users the option to disable algorithmic feeds. The measure, known as impromptu, ‘my feed, my way, ‘ allows users to view only content from accounts they’ve chosen to follow. No more feeds stocked with 3rd party suggestions, targeted advertisements, or auto-playing clips to keep the viewer engaged. This shift came on the heels of years of mounting public discontent.
Australians worried that their time online had become unmanageable. Complex algorithms analyzed their buying trends, emotional responses, and cognitive hazards and then began to serve up a seemingly endless stream of stories videos memes, and emails that was more designed to satiate attention spans than to promote learning or human understanding. Concerned parents voiced (sometimes justified) concerns about the impact on their kids. Older users became aware of their own altered attention spans and emotional states.
Politicians took action. In addition, platform regulation in Australia now calls for a clearly visible opt-out for existing and new users. When users choose to turn on the feed, it unfolds as a chronological, source-limited flow of content. It feels more muted, more deliberate. Someone who feeds in local news pages, family and a few niche communities will now see precisely that content, nothing else. The persistent siren song of trending topics and personality suggestions is absent. Proponents claim it returns a fundamental feeling of agency. Social media was created to reconnect to one another. But the commercial model evolved it into an elaborate attention economy.
Providing users a simple escape route from the attention economy does not outlaw the algorithm; it just makes it voluntary. Anyone who relishes discovery and serendipity can maintain the algorithmic canon. Anybody else can opt out. The severity of tangible consequences will depend on the platform. Many services have implemented a chronological feed for years, scattering the choice in menus and settings.
The Australian ruling mandates label prominence and assurance of availability. Firms must also guarantee that opting out results in an identical experience. There is to be no reduced functionality or performance penalty as the price for opting out, no matter how quietly imposed. Authorities have “indicated a focus on monitoring efforts to make at least the non-algorithmic way [less] attractive.
” Younger users might see the most benefit. Evidence points to that excessive exposure to the algorithm results in higher levels of anxiety, comparison, and distracted attention in teens. A feed that is limited to content from people and groups that a kid intentionally opts in to could help reduce the stress of constant social comparison. It gives a clearer system for parents to have conversations about deliberate online behavior. There is a commercial calculation for the platforms.
The algorithmic feeds provide the engagement numbers to bring in advertisers. A large set of users opting for the quieter option might reduce the overall time spent on the apps a bit. Still, the companies still can advertise and push content into the chronological stream under current ad regulation. Several industry watchers think most users will keep the algorithmic experience, with a dedicated minority opting out.
