Instagram, Threads to soon limit political content recommendations
What's the story
American technology conglomerate Meta has announced that Instagram and Threads will no longer suggest political content to users unless they specifically choose to see the same. This update builds on an existing Reels policy that already restricts political content in recommended feeds. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri explained, "Our goal is to preserve the ability for people to choose to interact with political content, while respecting each person's appetite for it."
Implementation
Implementation of update, enhanced user control
In the coming weeks, these changes to Instagram and Threads will be implemented, with Facebook planning to introduce similar features later. By adjusting their account settings, however, users can opt to receive recommendations on content related to governments, elections, or social issues. This update will only impact public accounts and recommended content sections like Explore, Reels, in-feed suggestions, and suggested users.
Impact
Impact on creators and account status
Meta emphasized that if an account isn't eligible for recommendations, none of its content will be suggested to users, even if it doesn't violate any guidelines. Professional Instagram accounts can use the Account Status feature to see if posting political content affects their recommendation eligibility. They can also challenge decisions, edit, delete, or pause political posts until their account is eligible for recommendations again via the Account Status feature.
Efforts
Meta's efforts to distance itself from politics
This decision is part of Meta's ongoing efforts to distance itself from news and politics. In 2022, Facebook discovered that less than 3% of the content that its US users see in their feeds is politically related. Mosseri has previously mentioned that political content won't be promoted on Threads or Instagram due to limited engagement and potential scrutiny or negativity aimed at the platforms.