Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announced that Meta will no longer recommend political content to Instagram and Threads users. However, users will still see political content from accounts they follow, but the app will not actively promote it. The change will impact Reels-type content, Explore Instagram posts, and account recommendations on Threads. Meta’s definition of political content includes government, elections, and social issues. Users can adjust their settings to see political content if desired. The goal is to respect each person’s preferences while limiting potentially problematic topics. Meta’s latest change aims to prevent Threads users from discussing sensitive topics. Some users and content creators may view this as unfair suppression of content. Professional Instagram accounts can check if their posts are eligible for recommendations using the account status feature.
Telset.id, Jakarta – Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said that Meta will not recommend political content to Instagram or Threads social media users.
However, Mosseri explained that users will actually still see political content from the accounts they follow, but the application does not actively amplify posts, such as making them at the top.
This new change will take effect in the next few weeks and will impact recommendations for Reels-type content or posts on Explore Instagram as well as account recommendations on Threads.
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Unfortunately, Mosseri did not explain how Meta will determine what will be considered clearly politically charged. Although, a Meta spokesperson said this would include election-related topics and social issues.
“Our definition of political content is content that is likely to contain topics related to government or elections, for example posts about legislation, elections, or social topics,” said a Meta spokesperson.
He added, this global problem is complex and dynamic, which means this definition will continue to evolve as companies continue to interact with society and communities using platforms and external experts to refine approaches.
Although Meta will limit suggestions regarding this topic in general, those who wish to see politically charged content can change it through the Instagram and Threads settings on their account.
The company explained the update will not impact how people see posts from accounts they choose to follow. “Our goal is to preserve people’s ability to choose to interact with political content, while respecting each person’s taste in that content,” explained Mosseri.
This change is Meta’s latest way to prevent Threads users from discussing topics deemed potentially problematic. The company has blocked sensitive topics, including vaccines and Covid-related terms, from search results in Threads. Mosseri also said that Meta does not want to encourage users to post about politics and related news on the application.
While the change may also spark new reactions among users and content creators, some of whom believe that Meta is unfairly suppressing certain types of content.
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Meta says that people with professional accounts on Instagram can use the account status feature to check whether their current posts are considered eligible for recommendations. (FY/IF)
