Hoffman Lenses Initiative — Take Action

Switch to Chronological

Every major platform hides the chronological feed option deep in settings, because they do not want you to use it.

The algorithmic feed exists to maximize your time on platform. The chronological feed exists to show you what the people you chose to follow actually posted. Step-by-step instructions for every major platform are below.

Why it matters

The recommendation algorithm does not show you content in the order it was posted. It selects and sequences content based on what it predicts will hold your attention longest — which is correlated with emotional intensity, not quality or relevance.

Switching to chronological does not remove you from the platform. It removes the algorithm's ability to choose what you see next. You remain in control of who you follow — and you see what they actually post, when they post it.

Instagram

Chronological available

Instagram restored chronological options in 2022 after years of public pressure. There are now two non-algorithmic feed modes: Following (everyone you follow, in reverse chronological order) and Favorites (up to 50 accounts you designate, in reverse chronological order).

On mobile (iOS & Android)
  1. 01Open Instagram and tap the Home icon (house) in the bottom bar.
  2. 02Tap the Instagram logo at the top left of the screen. A dropdown appears.
  3. 03Select Following or Favorites.
  4. 04Instagram will not remember this choice. You must tap the logo each session to switch back.
To set up Favorites
  1. 01Go to any account's profile page.
  2. 02Tap the Following button, then tap Add to Favorites.
  3. 03Repeat for up to 50 accounts. These will appear in the Favorites feed in chronological order.

Note: The Reels tab and the Explore tab always use the algorithmic feed. Chronological applies only to the main home feed.

TikTok

Chronological available

TikTok has a Following feed that shows posts from accounts you follow in reverse chronological order. It is accessible via the tab bar at the top of the screen, but TikTok defaults to the For You algorithmic feed on every launch.

On mobile
  1. 01Open TikTok. At the top of the screen you will see tabs: Following and For You.
  2. 02Tap Following.
  3. 03You will now see posts from accounts you follow in reverse chronological order.
  4. 04TikTok resets to For You every time you close and reopen the app.

Note: TikTok has no web-based chronological feed. The Following tab is mobile-only. The For You algorithm is the default and TikTok does not allow you to change this default.

Facebook

Partially available

Facebook offers a Recent feed that shows posts in reverse chronological order, but it is buried in the menu and Facebook actively promotes the algorithmic Home feed. Facebook also allows you to create a Favorites list of up to 30 accounts whose posts appear near the top of your feed.

Mobile (iOS & Android)
  1. 01Tap the three-line Menu icon (bottom right on iOS, top right on Android).
  2. 02Scroll down and tap See more.
  3. 03Find and tap Most Recent.
  4. 04Facebook will reset to Home on next launch.
Desktop (web)
  1. 01In the left sidebar, look for Most Recent under the Feeds section.
  2. 02If not visible, click See more in the sidebar to expand the list.
  3. 03Click Most Recent.
To set Favorites (keeps key accounts visible)
  1. 01Go to a friend's profile or a Page.
  2. 02Click or tap Friends or Following, then select Add to Favorites.
  3. 03Favorites posts appear near the top of your algorithmic feed even when using Home view.

Note: Facebook does not allow you to set Most Recent as your default feed. Every session will start on the algorithmic Home feed.

Twitter / X

Chronological available

Twitter/X has a Following tab that shows posts from accounts you follow in reverse chronological order. Under Elon Musk's ownership the default was changed to the algorithmic For You feed, but the Following tab remains accessible.

Mobile
  1. 01Open the app. At the top you will see two tabs: For you and Following.
  2. 02Tap Following.
  3. 03X will remember this choice within a session but typically resets to For you on relaunch.
Desktop (web)
  1. 01On the Home timeline, look for the star icon ☆ at the top right of the feed column.
  2. 02Click it to open the feed type menu.
  3. 03Select Following.

Note: X Premium subscribers can set Following as their default feed in Settings → Accessibility, display, and languages → Display → Latest tweets. Free accounts cannot change the default.

YouTube

Partial — use Subscriptions tab

YouTube does not offer a true chronological feed. The Subscriptions tab is the closest equivalent: it shows recent uploads from channels you subscribe to, sorted by upload date. The Home tab is entirely algorithmic.

On mobile and desktop
  1. 01On mobile: tap the Subscriptions icon in the bottom navigation bar (the grid of squares).
  2. 02On desktop: click Subscriptions in the left sidebar.
  3. 03You will see recent uploads from your subscribed channels, with the most recent at the top.
  4. 04Make Subscriptions your default landing page by bookmarking youtube.com/feed/subscriptions.
Additional steps to reduce algorithm exposure
  1. 01Pause your watch history: Settings → History & privacy → Pause watch history. This limits the algorithm's data.
  2. 02Clear your watch history periodically to reset recommendations.
  3. 03Use browser extensions such as Unhook or DF YouTube to hide recommendations entirely on desktop.

Note: YouTube's Shorts feed (vertical video) has no chronological option and is purely algorithmic. Avoiding the Shorts tab reduces algorithm exposure significantly.

Reddit

Chronological available

Reddit's default Home feed uses an algorithm that mixes popular posts from communities you join. Switching to chronological is straightforward using the sort controls, either for your Home feed or within individual communities (subreddits).

Sort your Home feed by New
  1. 01On mobile: on the Home feed, tap the sort button (shows Best, Hot, or similar) near the top.
  2. 02Select New. Your feed will now show recent posts in chronological order.
  3. 03On desktop: at the top of your Home feed, click New in the sort bar (next to Hot, Top, Rising).
Sort individual communities by New
  1. 01Navigate to any subreddit (community).
  2. 02Select New from the sort options. This applies per-subreddit.
  3. 03Reddit remembers your per-subreddit sort preference when logged in.
Use the /new feed directly
  1. 01Navigate to reddit.com/new on desktop for a chronological view of all recent posts from your communities.
  2. 02Bookmark this URL to bypass the algorithmic Home feed entirely.

Note: Reddit's redesigned app increasingly promotes algorithmic discovery features. The New sort is still available but Reddit has begun inserting promoted posts and recommendations into New feeds as well.

This is one step. Not the only step.

Switching to chronological reduces algorithmic manipulation of your attention. It does not eliminate behavioral manipulation systems. Those systems continue to operate — on other users, including children — regardless of your personal settings.

The Hoffman Browser makes those systems visible for any page you visit. The white paper documents the legal case for abolishing them entirely.

Get the Browser Read the White Paper Support for Families Remembrance