Researchers claim Instagram uses its algorithm to prioritise photos of ‘scantily-clad’ people

Are you seeing too many sexy pictures in your Instagram news feed? Researchers believe the platform’s algorithm is pushing these photos to users. — AFP

A study by the European Data Journalism Network and AlgorithmWatch claims that Instagram’s algorithm ‘proritises photos of scantily-clad men and women’, explaining that users are more likely to see sexy images in their news feeds and that the constant exposure to this type of content will also affect the behaviour of creators.

In the study titled ‘Undress or fail: Instagram’s algorithm strong-arms users into showing skin’, researchers asked 26 volunteers to install a browser add-on and follow the account of selected professional content creators.