Instagram Users to See Less Political Content Unless Opted In, Meta Implements Change
As reported by The Guardian
Opt-In Required for Political Content
In a recent update, Instagram users will now see less political content in their recommendations and feed suggestions unless they specifically opt into it through their settings. The change, announced by Meta on 9 February, requires users to navigate to their preferences to opt in to political content. It was rolled out in the past week, affecting explore, Reels, and in-feed recommendations.
What Constitutes Political Content?
Meta defines political content as related to “laws, elections, or social topics” but has not provided further specifics. Accounts flagged for posting political content can appeal if they believe the decision has been wrongly applied. Users will still see political content from accounts they follow.
Meta’s Rationale
Meta’s decision aims to create a better experience for users by allowing them to choose whether to engage with political content. The company emphasized that it doesn’t want to interfere with users’ choices to follow political accounts but also wants to avoid recommending political content from accounts users don’t follow.
Broader Context
This change follows recent criticism of Instagram for allegedly censoring content related to the Israel-Gaza conflict and concerns about political polarization fueled by social media algorithms. Meta is also retiring the news tab from Facebook, signaling a broader shift away from political and news content. This move aligns with Meta’s strategy amid ongoing disputes with news publishers and governments over payment for news content.
Meta’s Response and Future Plans
A Meta spokesperson referred to the February blog post explaining the decision and stated that the change will also be rolled out to Facebook in the future. The company’s decision to retire the news tab from Facebook comes amidst ongoing negotiations with the Australian government over payment for news content, with potential ramifications under the 2021 News Media Bargaining Code.
