Algorithm

An algorithm, in this context, is the ranking system a platform uses to decide what to show each person. It is not one rule; it is many signals weighed together and adjusted constantly.

What they broadly agree on

Despite the differences, most feeds reward similar things:

• People staying with a post rather than scrolling (watch time).
• People interacting in ways that cost effort — comments and shares over likes.
• Early performance relative to your own norm.
• Posting consistently enough that the system has recent data on you.

What is mostly folklore

Deleting and reposting, posting at one magic minute, avoiding certain words, and the idea that the platform is suppressing you personally. Some have a grain of truth in specific cases; most do not survive contact with a decent sample of posts.

The useful stance

You cannot control the ranking system and you can control what you put into it. Treat algorithm changes as weather rather than as an opponent, and pay attention to your own numbers over months rather than to any single post that underperformed.