It'll be fine, they said. It will be a gradual rollout, they said. We're in the test period, they said. All of this is true, but for Instagram users who aren't wild about the idea of the impending algorithmic timeline, many are wondering how to complain to Instagram about the feed change. Only a few short weeks ago, you may have woken up to the world in a panic — all thanks to the impending reality that Instagram would soon be rolling out a new algorithm making our feeds non-chronological. And, my friends, for some of us, that time has indeed come — this week, some users noticed that their feeds were no longer chronological. Surely there's a way to protest this ... right? Well, sort of.
So, here's the dilly. Bustle spoke to an Instagram representative, who confirmed they are indeed testing the algorithmic update on a portion of the global community. They do not yet have a date for when the non-chronological feed will launch platform-wide, but they assure us they'll keep users in the loop about when that might be happening. The reason some people are up in arms about this change, of course, is because it prioritizes post based on what an algorithm thinks you care most about. The concern for users who don't have huge followings is that they might get lost in the fray.
Yes, I realize this is totally a first world problem and my life will not crumble because my Insta is no longer chronological. But, still. Regardless of whether or not you really can circumvent this change (reportedly by turning on notifications for individual Instas), filing a complaint with the social media monolith will at least make your thoughts known. To this end, I've got some good news and some not as good news. The good news: Yes, you can complain to Instagram about the feed change. The not so good news: It's not exactly an easy or clear-cut process for us regular old Schmoes.
If you head over to Instagram's Help Center on the website, it's relatively simple to find a section discussing the feed changes; however, there doesn't appear to be a phone number for users to call or an email address to send feedback to. The Instagram Help Center does allow users to report issues with the app's functionality — if you click on "Something's Not Working," followed by "Report a Broken Feature," it will walk you through contact forms for reporting technical issues, with something similar happening if you click on "Privacy & Safety Center" and choose "Report Something." However, there doesn't seem to be a General Feedback contact form on the site — or if there is, I literally could not find it.
In happier news, the app itself does have a contact form for General Feedback. After you've opened up the app on your mobile device, simply go to your profile by tapping on the little person icon, tap the Settings gear icon, scroll down and choose "Report a Problem" and, finally, tap "General Feedback."
If all else fails or you don't have any luck with the app's General Feedback field, you could always try tagging the company co-founders in an Insta-comment — their handles are listed on the website's About page. Consider it a "When in Rome" approach to the whole situation. When on Insta, do as the Instas do!
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