Well, it finally arrived. The EU is again dictating to tech titans how to act, and this time, it's on something missing since 2016: the humble chronological feed. Do you recall when social media displayed posts in the order they were published? Good times. Now, courtesy of a Dutch court, Meta may be forced to restore that by statute.
A Dutch court last week ruled that Bits of Freedom, a digital rights group that sounds like the name of a hacker collective from the 2000s, actually had a point. They protested that Meta was violating the EU Digital Services Act by rendering non-algorithmic feeds nearly impossible to access.
Apparently, being able to toggle to a "chronological timeline" five menus down doesn't qualify as "directly accessible." The court concurred. In accordance with Article 27 of the DSA, users ought to be able to "select and modify their preferred feed options easily." Translation: you shouldn't have to earn a PhD in UX design in order to view your friends' posts chronologically.
Technically, Meta already allows you to see posts in chronological order on both Facebook and Instagram. You just can't set it as your default. When you open the app, it sends you back to "what the algorithm thinks you should see," which typically is ads, reels, and your fourth aunt's repost of an inspirational quote.
Bits of Freedom named this what it is, design manipulation. Meta buries the plain feed behind icons and pop-ups, and if you do succeed in locating it, you forfeit basic functions such as direct messages. It's as though they are penalizing you for seeking a timeline that will make sense.
Naturally, Meta isn't pleased with this. Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s head of “we promise this update is for your benefit,” says chronological feeds just don’t work. According to him, when people use them, they forget they turned it on, post less, and become “less happy” with Instagram.
That’s one way to frame it. Another is, people stop doomscrolling as much. But sure, Adam, tell us more about user satisfaction.
Let's be real. Algorithms don't create happiness. They're designed to keep us around. And the simplest way to keep us stuck to the screen is through emotional whiplash. Anger, fear, joy, the holy trinity. And as long as your blood pressure increases, engagement increases.
Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen attempted to alert the world to this years ago. She claimed that taking out engagement-based ranking would cut down on the never-ending loop of outrage bait and disinformation. Naturally, that notion wasn't precisely in line with Meta's quarterly earnings objectives.
If the Dutch court's decision holds, Meta will be required to provide users with a "direct and simple" means to opt out of the algorithm. Just think about it, opening up Instagram and seeing posts presented in the order they were posted. No "because you liked this" recommendations. No "you may also like." Just real-time feed like it's 2012 all over again.
Meta, of course, intends to appeal. Because why complicate when you can monetize?
But this could be the domino effect. If one country in the EU is able to push Meta's buttons, others may do the same. And if they do, we might find ourselves getting to see what social media is like when it's not always attempting to sell you something.
Spoiler: it'll likely be less loud. And Meta's ad division will likely lose a few tears.
