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Instagram admits algorithmic glitch caused excessive Creed song recommendations
Instagram has acknowledged an algorithmic glitch that caused the platform to repeatedly recommend the 1999 Creed song ‘Higher’ to users, regardless of their posting content or musical preferences. Users reported that the track appeared as a suggestion for nearly any Story or post, ranging from food photos to pets, leading to online conspiracy theories that the band had a paid promotional deal with Meta.
An Instagram spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the company investigated the issue and found the song was being recommended to “more people than intended.” The company stated that engineers are investigating the root cause to implement a fix. While some users also noted an increase in recommendations for Soulja Boy’s ‘Turn My Swag On’, Instagram clarified that this specific instance was not a bug but a reflection of the song’s actual popularity on the platform.
Typically, Instagram’s music recommendations are driven by a combination of user history, visual content analysis, and platform-wide trends. The company has not yet specified which part of the recommendation logic failed in the case of Creed.
Entities
CNN · Creed · Instagram · Meta · Soulja Boy
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Users observed the atypical frequency of Creed’s ‘Higher’ being suggested for Instagram Stories starting in August. 963theblaze.com · wblm.com · wpdh.com · z100missoula.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The frequent recommendation of Soulja Boy’s ‘Turn My Swag On’ is due to its popularity on the platform and is not a bug. 963theblaze.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Instagram found that Creed’s song ‘Higher’ is being recommended to more users than intended. 963theblaze.com · wblm.com · wpdh.com · z100missoula.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Instagram is continuing to investigate the cause of the song recommendations. 963theblaze.com · wblm.com · wpdh.com · z100missoula.com