Meta has announced that it will soon make it easier for Instagram and Threads users to avoid seeing political content unless they specifically choose to do so. The company is expanding its existing Reels policy to limit political content from people you’re not following from appearing in recommended feeds on its platforms. Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated that the goal is to preserve the ability for people to choose to interact with political content while respecting each person’s preferences.
The changes will be implemented over the next few weeks, and users will have the option to turn off the limitation within their account settings if they still want to see political content recommended to them. These new controls will apply to public accounts when enabled and only in places where content is recommended, such as Explore, Reels, in-feed recommendations, and suggested users.
The update will not impact how users view content from accounts they choose to follow, so accounts that are not eligible to be recommended can still post political content to their followers via their feed and Stories. Additionally, Meta has stated that for creators whose accounts are not eligible to be recommended, none of their content will be recommended regardless of its compliance with guidelines.
Professional accounts on Instagram will also be able to use the Account Status feature to check if posting political content is impacting their eligibility for recommendation. They can contest decisions that revoke this eligibility and make necessary adjustments until the account is eligible to be recommended again.
These updates reflect Meta’s efforts to distance itself from the world of news and politics in recent years. Mosseri has emphasized that political content won’t be encouraged on Threads or Instagram due to the limited engagement it provides, which isn’t worth the scrutiny or negativity that could be directed toward the platforms. This announcement comes ahead of the 2024 presidential election, where Meta wants to ensure a positive user experience on its platforms.
In conclusion, Meta’s expansion of its Reels policy to limit political content is a step towards a more tailored and user-friendly experience for Instagram and Threads users. These changes will provide users with more control over the type of content they see and align with Meta’s commitment to offering a positive and engaging platform.
