Your feed is controlling you. Here’s how to reset it
Your social media feed isn’t random. It’s engineered.
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook are designed to keep you scrolling, often by amplifying outrage, AI slop and content you never chose.
If you don’t steer your algorithm, it will steer you.
Axios producer Paige Hopkins walks through how to reset your feed, app by app, without deleting social media entirely.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Your feed is engineered (not accidental)
0:34 – Say hello to Paige!
1:05 – How to reset your TikTok algorithm
1:44 – The TikTok “nuclear option”
1:56 – How to clean up Instagram
2:57 – Fixing your YouTube recommendations
4:08 – How to fine-tune your X (Twitter) feed
5:05 – Cleaning up your Facebook algorithm
5:27 – Reducing political + sensitive content