I turned off my algorithm for 24 hours. Is this how social media used to be?

What happened

According to The Guardian’s source item, I turned off my algorithm for 24 hours. Is this how social media used to be?, Thanks to a little-known feature in Instagram, I try to travel back to 2012 – before everything on the internet was an ad Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast I have a confession. I love my social media algorithm. It is a perfectly curated window into my insane and inquiring mind. It knows precisely which videos will tickle me and which memes will gently distract me from the slow collapse of humankind. On Tuesday the Australian government announced “world-leading” reforms that would force social media platforms to allow users to opt-out of algorithms, dubbed “my feed, my way” . On the same day, I was delighted to be confronted with a video on Instagram of a woman accidentally spilling a bucket of eels on a Chinese train. Dozens of eels slithered among the passengers, who appeared not as surprised as I would ha

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-09-10T15:00:43+00:00.

What to watch

Open questions include whether primary sources issue follow-up statements, whether local or market impacts become clearer, and whether additional reporting changes the timeline or adds material context.

Source

Primary source: I turned off my algorithm for 24 hours. Is this how social media used to be? via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.