Clean up your social media feed and cut the noise

Scrolling utilized to beryllium relaxing. Now it often feels chaotic. That is not a coincidence. Nearly everything you spot connected societal media is controlled by algorithms that way what you like, watch, click and ignore. Over time, those signals get muddy. One curiosity click tin reshape your provender for weeks. The solution is not deleting your accounts. It is retraining the system.

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10 SIMPLE CYBERSECURITY RESOLUTIONS FOR A SAFER 2026

Your societal media acquisition starts the infinitesimal you pat an app, and each click helps signifier what shows up next.  (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

How societal media algorithms determine what you see

Algorithms wage attraction to behavior, not intention. They way engagement patterns and repetition what keeps you scrolling. If your provender feels off, it usually means the algorithm learned the incorrect lesson. Resetting your provender helps close that.

Note: This nonfiction is written desktop-first (PC oregon Mac). When a measurement is phone-only oregon importantly antithetic connected mobile, it is intelligibly labeled.

How to cleanable up your Facebook Feed

Primary device: PC oregon Mac. Phone differences noted.

Use Content Preferences to retrain Facebook (PC oregon Mac)

Facebook's provender is built astir people, pages and groups you follow, positive recommended contented and ads.

• Click your profile photo successful the precocious right
• Select Settings and Privacy > Content Preferences

From here, you can:

• Add radical and groups to Favorites
• Snooze posts temporarily
• Unfollow accounts without unfriending them
• Reconnect with accounts you muted before

These tools are easiest to negociate connected a desktop.

Filter your Feed presumption (PC oregon Mac)

• To bypass the main algorithmic feed:
• Click Feeds successful the near navigation
• Choose to presumption lone Favorites,  Friends, Groups, oregon Pages

This shows contented chronologically wrong those categories.

Hide and emblem posts arsenic you scroll (PC, Mac and phone)

On immoderate station successful your Facebook feed:

• Click the three-dot menu successful the precocious close of the post
• Choose Hide post, Snooze, oregon Unfollow, depending connected what appears

Hiding posts and snoozing oregon unfollowing accounts sends the aforesaid awesome to the algorithm. Use these options often. Facebook responds much reliably to repeated antagonistic feedback than occasional clicks.

For suggested posts and reels, you whitethorn besides spot Not interested. Selecting it further trains the provender distant from akin content.

Cut down ads and delicate topics (PC, Mac and phone)

When ads appear:

• Click the X to fell them
• Or usage the three-dot menu to fell oregon report

For deeper control:

• Go to Settings and Privacy > Settings
• Open Account Center
• Click Ad Preferences > Customize ads
• Select See All adjacent to Ad Topics
• Click View and negociate topics
• Click the taxable name
• Choose See less
• Repeat this for every taxable you privation to limit.

To artifact circumstantial words successful comments:

• Click your profile picture (top close connected desktop)
• Settings & privateness → Settings
• In the near column, click Profile and Tagging
• Under "Profile," look for Hide comments containing definite words from your illustration and click connected the arrow adjacent to it.
• Choose a database of words, phrases oregon emojis you privation to fell from your illustration and benignant them successful the box.
• Click Save beneath it.

Using a machine gives you deeper power implicit societal media settings that are harder to find connected a phone.  (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

How to cleanable up your Instagram feed

Primary device: Phone only

Instagram does not presently connection a reliable, cosmopolitan enactment to reset its algorithm. Feed power connected Instagram is manual and behavior-based. That means the app learns from what you hide, mute, unfollow and ignore.

Tell Instagram what you bash not privation to spot (phone)

On posts that miss the mark:

• Tap the three-dot menu
• Select Not interested, Mute, oregon Unfollow, depending connected what appears

Use this consistently. Instagram responds much to repeated signals than one-off actions.

Fine-tune who appears successful your provender (phone)

Visit accounts straight and pat Following to negociate however their contented shows up.

From here, you can:

• Mute posts oregon stories
• Add oregon region Favorites
• Restrict interactions
• Unfollow the account

These actions instantly power aboriginal recommendations.

Review account-level controls (phone)

Open Settings and review:

• Muted accounts
• Blocked accounts
• Close Friends

Cleaning up these lists helps trim clutter and repetitive content.

When a caller Instagram relationship makes sense

If your provender inactive feels disconnected aft manual cleanup, starting caller is the astir effectual reset.

To bash this:

• Log retired and create a caller account
• Follow lone accounts you genuinely privation to see
• Avoid mass-following during setup

Instagram's algorithm is heavy influenced by aboriginal behavior, truthful a slow, intentional commencement matters.

Some users whitethorn perceive astir an Instagram "reset" feature, but arsenic of now, it is not consistently disposable crossed accounts.

Fine-tune who you spot (phone)

Tap the three-dot menu connected posts to unfollow oregon favorite accounts.

From immoderate profile, pat Following to:

• Add Close Friend
• Add Favorite
• Mute posts oregon stories
• Restrict interactions

Unfollow

Under Settings, review:

• Muted accounts
• Blocked accounts
• Close Friends

Instagram’s provender is trained by what you hide, mute, and unfollow, not by a azygous reset button. (iStock)

How to reset your TikTok For You page

Primary device: Phone only

Train the provender gradually (phone)

• Press and clasp connected a video
• Tap Not Interested

Consistency matters here.

Remove past likes (phone)

• Go to Profile
• Tap the heart icon
• Unlike videos that whitethorn beryllium influencing recommendations

Refresh the full provender (phone only)

• Tap Profile
• Tap the three-line menu
• Go to Settings and Privacy > Content Preferences
• Tap Refresh Your For You Feed
• Confirm

This resets recommendations but keeps your pursuing list.

For a full reset, unfollow accounts manually oregon commencement caller with a caller account.

TikTok’s For You leafage reacts rapidly erstwhile you people videos arsenic not funny oregon cleanable up past likes. (iStock)

How to reset YouTube recommendations

Primary device: PC recommended

Clear oregon bounds ticker past (PC, Mac and phone)

On mobile:

• Tap You
• Tap the gear icon 
• Select Manage All History
• Tap DELETE

On desktop:

• Click your profile photo
• Select Your Data successful YouTube
• Open YouTube Watch History
• Click Manage History
• Click DELETE

From here, you can:

• Delete today
• Delete customized range 
• Delete each time 

Remove past provender feedback

Primary device: PC oregon Mac

This mounting is easiest to entree connected a computer.

• Go to YouTube.com and marque definite you are signed in
• Click your profile photo successful the precocious right
• Select Your Data successful YouTube
• Scroll to the conception labeled YouTube Watch History and click the right arrow 
• Click Manage your YouTube Watch History
• Click Saving Your Watch History 

On the past page:

• Scroll down until you see YouTube Customize Your Feed Feedback
• Click Delete to region past feedback selections

This removes videos you antecedently told YouTube you wanted to spot much of.

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Continue grooming the provender (PC, Mac and phone)

On idiosyncratic YouTube videos:

• Click oregon pat the three-dot paper next to the video
• Select Not interested

Repeat this connected videos that miss the mark. YouTube relies heavy connected repeated feedback signals. This enactment is not consistently disposable connected the YouTube mobile app. Use a machine for the champion results.

Reset subscriptions (PC, Mac and phone)

Subscriptions heavy signifier recommendations. Unsubscribe from channels you nary longer watch. Rebuild your database intentionally.

YouTube recommendations are driven by ticker history, hunt history, and subscriptions you whitethorn person forgotten about.  (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

How to trim sound connected X

Primary device: PC preferred

Adjust interests and ads (PC, Mac and phone)

• Click your profile icon.
• Go to Settings and Privacy
• Click Privacy and Safety
• Select Content You See
• Open Interests

Here, X lists topics it believes you are funny in.

• Uncheck interests you nary longer attraction about
• There is nary "unselect all" option
• Changes indispensable beryllium made 1 by one

This affects some recommended posts and ads.

Adjust advertisement personalization settings (PC, Mac and phone)

This is wherever "Ads Preferences" really lives.

• Click oregon pat your profile icon
• Go to Settings and Privacy
• Select Privacy and Safety
• Scroll down and click Ads Preferences

From here:

• Turn disconnected Personalized ads
• Review Ad categories and disable what you can
• Turn disconnected Ads based connected inferred identity, if shown

X does not let afloat advertisement removal, but these steps trim targeting.

Train the provender arsenic you scroll (PC, Mac and phone)

On posts oregon ads you bash not privation to spot again:

• Click oregon pat the three-dot menu
• Choose Not interested, Block, oregon Mute, depending connected what appears
• Also:
• Unfollow accounts that nary longer adhd value
• Block advertisers straight erstwhile possible

Repeated feedback matters much than occasional actions.

When starting a caller X relationship makes sense

X's algorithm is little forgiving than astir platforms. If your provender feels irreparable, the astir effectual reset is:

• Creating a caller account
• Following lone accounts you genuinely want
• Avoiding wide follows aboriginal on

Early behaviour heavy shapes semipermanent recommendations. X offers less provender controls than astir platforms, truthful changes whitethorn consciousness slower and little dramatic.

Small, accordant actions connected your telephone tin gradually retrain algorithms and trim regular provender fatigue. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

How to cleanable up Threads

Works connected PC, Mac and phone

Control what appears successful For You

• On the For You feed:
• Click the three-dot menu
• Mark posts arsenic not interested, mute oregon block

Use Hidden Words (PC and phone)

• Open Settings
• Go to Hidden Words
• Add words, phrases oregon emojis separated by commas

These filters use crossed Threads and Instagram.

How to marque LinkedIn utile again

Primary device: PC recommended

Switch to caller posts (PC and Mac)

• At the apical of your feed, click Sort by: Top
• Change it to Recent
• To marque it permanent:
• Go to Me
• Click Settings and Privacy 
• Select Preferred Feed View
• Choose Most caller posts
• Click the left arrow to save

Reduce advertisement targeting (PC and Mac)

• Go to Settings and Privacy
• Open Advertising Data
• Select Interests and Traits
• Turn disconnected categories you bash not want

Aggressively bid the provender (PC, Mac and phone)

On unwanted posts:

• Click the three-dot menu
• Select Not applicable oregon Not interested 
• Under My Network, reappraisal Followers and Following and unfollow accounts that adhd noise.

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Kurt's cardinal takeaways

Social media feels overwhelming erstwhile it runs connected autopilot. A fewer minutes of cleanup tin dramatically alteration what you see. Algorithms respond to clarity. The clearer your signals, the amended your provender becomes. You bash not request to discontinue societal media to bask it again. You conscionable request to instrumentality control.

If your provender reflects your behavior, what does yours uncover astir however you walk your attraction close now? Let america cognize by penning to america astatine Cyberguy.com

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