Instagram Introduces New Notification System to Reduce Repetitive Alerts and Improve User Engagement

Instagram has updated its notification ranking to reduce repetitive alerts. The app uses machine learning to optimize for user engagement and has introduced a diversity-aware notification ranking framework to deliver more diverse and curated notifications. This could lead to fewer notifications for users who already don't see all of the updates from a single user or profile, potentially affecting organic reach. The goal is to improve user experience by reducing notification fatigue.

Instagram, a subsidiary of Meta, has recently implemented a new notification ranking system designed to reduce repetitive alerts and enhance user experience. The app leverages machine learning (ML) to optimize for user engagement, but the new system introduces a diversity-aware notification ranking framework [1].

The existing ML models prioritize content based on user engagement metrics such as click-through rate (CTR) and time spent. However, this focus on past engagement can lead to overexposure to the same creators or product types, potentially making notifications feel spammy and increasing the likelihood of users disabling them [1].

To address this, Instagram has introduced a diversity-aware notification ranking framework. This system applies a diversity layer on top of the existing engagement ML models, downranking notifications that are too similar to recently sent ones. The diversity layer evaluates each notification candidate's similarity across multiple dimensions, such as content, author, notification type, and product surface, and applies carefully calibrated penalties to reduce redundancy [1].

The new system aims to maintain high engagement potential while introducing meaningful diversity. It has significantly reduced daily notification volume while improving CTR, indicating that the framework is effective in achieving its goals [1].

However, the new system could potentially affect organic reach for users who already struggle to see all updates from a single user or profile. The system may penalize updates with lower CTR, which could further restrict exposure for those updates [2].

Instagram believes that this change will improve user experience by reducing notification fatigue. By ensuring that users receive a more varied mix of notifications, the system aims to keep users engaged and active on the platform.

References:
[1] https://engineering.fb.com/2025/09/02/ml-applications/a-new-ranking-framework-for-better-notification-quality-on-instagram/
[2] https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-updates-notification-ranking-avoid-fatigue/759187/