Australia is considering a radical change to social media platforms that control what people see. Under proposed legislation around the government’s “My Feed, My Way” policy, Australians would be able to decide whether they have a choice over whether the default social media feed they get is curated by algorithms or curated from people and things they have chosen to follow.
The strategy is part of a larger Digital Duty of Care agenda to help online platforms provide safer digital environments. If the rules were to come into effect, the regulatory framework would put greater accountability on digital service providers and users would have more control over some of the systems that decide what appears in their feeds.
At the heart of the proposal is a fairly simple choice. Users could keep a personalised feed, where recommendation algorithms look at how they’ve been involved and engaged to suggest posts, videos and accounts that might be more relevant to their interests. Or they could turn off the personalised recommendations on their feed from friends and creators they have chosen to follow in the default feed.
This might signal an important change in the relationship between users and recommendation algorithms. Most major social media platforms rely heavily on automated systems to determine which posts appear prominently. They may consider previous interactions, viewing behaviour, searches, likes, shares and other engagement when selecting the content to be recommended.
Under a “Following” style feed, that recommendation layer would play a much smaller role in the user’s main feed. Users would not get posts from accounts they have never followed for the long run, but only from people and creators they’ve chosen to follow.
The proposal doesn’t mean that recommendations or unfamiliar content would disappear from social media. Users could still look up specific topics, see profiles, browse through other parts of the platform or follow new creators. The key difference would be that algorithmically recommended content would no longer dominate their default feed if they choose to opt out.
One advantage in this regard for users is predictability. A feed based largely on followed accounts would feel less daunting, because users would have more control over the sources in front of them. It could also minimize the amount of unsolicited content between posts from friends, family and selected creators.
But there could be a trade-off. Recommendation algorithms are also responsible for helping users find content and creators they may not otherwise have seen. If a user switches off personalised recommendations, there could be fewer emerging creators, viral posts, niche communities and trending discussions.
Australia’s proposal is especially interesting because some platforms already have versions of a Following feed. Instagram, YouTube and X, for example, have features that allow users to view content from accounts they follow. The Australian rules could therefore raise questions about how existing options would interact with a legally required default feed choice.
The difference may end up being control and default settings. Not having a Following tab is different from giving users a formal choice over what kind of feed becomes their default experience. Under the proposed framework, the platform would have to provide a choice for new and existing users.
Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government wants Australians to have greater choice over their online experience. The minister said the “My Feed, My Way” initiative would enable users to decide whether personalised algorithmic recommendations should be included in their default feed.
The proposal comes at a time of growing international attention on how recommendation systems influence online behaviour. Social media algorithms can help make social media platforms more engaging and addictive, by constantly promoting content based on people’s interests and past activity. But regulators and policymakers have also voiced concern about the impact of very personalised, engagement-oriented online landscapes on how content is found, and how that can affect people’s behaviour.
If the proposal becomes law, Australia could provide users with a more explicit choice over this aspect of social media. Rather than accepting an algorithmically curated feed as the default, users could decide whether they want platforms to make those recommendations for them.
The more widespread impact might extend beyond Australian users too. Social media companies that operate internationally may have to grapple with how to implement different feed controls while complying with Australia’s requirements. These changes may pressure platforms to make recommendation systems more transparent, and to give users more control over personalisation.
Ultimately, the proposed “My Feed, My Way” rules are less about eliminating algorithms from social media and more about giving users a choice over how much influence they have over their default experience. A feed based around algorithms, for some Australians, may still be the way to discover new content.
If the proposal is implemented, it could change a fundamental aspect of social media: who gets to decide what appears on your screen — the platform’s algorithm or you?
