Now, I try to do the same thing — but the sense of satisfaction I once felt upon reaching posts I had already viewed has been replaced with unease. As I scroll through my feed, I can see the timestamps: 16 minutes ago, 56 minutes ago, 2 hours ago, 6 hours ago, 5 hours ago, 2 hours ago, 3 hours ago, 7 hours ago, 2 hours ago. I've seen some of them before, but I can't help but wonder, If I keep scrolling, will I find something I haven't seen? Are there posts I'm missing altogether?!

Instagram's new algorithm is supposed to show you the "best" photos first — the ones that are most liked, the ones that are trending. The ones from the people you interact with most, whether that's a friend IRL, or an influencer in another time zone.

But most of the time, I can see no logic in why some of the photos are disordered. For two posts with less than 10 likes, why is the seven-hours-old post being shown before the two-hours-old one?

I follow 266 accounts on Instagram. With the old chronological timeline, I never felt overwhelmed, and never felt like I was missing anything. Though this new algorithm is supposed to help you not miss out on things you'd want to see, I instead feel the opposite — that I am missing important, beautiful, or silly photos (whether that's true or not).

Perhaps if I followed 400 or 500 accounts (as many of you may), I'd feel differently about the timeline. But for now — for me, at least — it seems completely unnecessary. And it's making me love one of my favorite apps a little bit less each time I open it.

Editor's note: Refinery29 reached out to Instagram for clarification on how its new algorithm works, but have not yet received a response.