Instagram users must opt in for ‘political’ content

The update to Instagram and Threads coincides with the parent company’s decision to discontinue the news tab on Facebook in Australia and the US

Instagram users will now encounter less “political” content in their recommendations and feed suggestions, as Meta has implemented a change requiring users to opt into such content. Users must navigate to their settings to specifically opt in to political content through their preferences. This change, announced on February 9, was first noticed by users on the platform in recent days.

The feature was reportedly introduced in the last week. According to Instagram’s version history on the Apple App Store, the most recent update prior to Monday’s update was a week ago.

The modification impacts the explore, Reels, and in-feed recommendations, as well as suggested users, that Instagram presents to its users. The company has emphasized that users will still see political content from the accounts they already follow.

Meta has characterized “political content” as pertaining to “laws, elections, or social topics,” but has not offered more precise details on what constitutes political content.

This policy applies to Instagram and Threads. Accounts identified by Meta as posting political content can appeal if they believe the decision to prevent their content from being recommended to users who haven’t opted in is incorrect.

In its explanation of the decision in February, Meta stated its focus was on ensuring “Instagram and Threads are a great experience for everyone.”

The company emphasized that while it won’t interfere if users choose to follow accounts that post political content, it also won’t actively recommend political content from accounts users don’t follow.

A spokesperson for Meta directed Guardian Australia to the February blog post. The company stated that it would introduce the change to Facebook at a later date.

Instagram has recently come under fire for purportedly censoring content related to the Israel-Gaza war. Additionally, the platform has been dealing with criticism regarding the perception that the algorithm for Facebook feeds has contributed to political polarization worldwide.

However, a study conducted during the 2020 US election found that changes to the algorithm did not impact people’s political perceptions. This included a change that reduced the amount of political news visible on the platform.

The adjustment on Instagram is part of Meta’s broader shift to distance its platforms from political and news content. The company is also set to remove the news tab from Facebook as it gears up for a legal battle against news publishers and the Australian government over news content payment.

The news tab will be discontinued in early April in Australia and the US. Meta announced earlier this month that it would not engage in new agreements with Australian news publishers for the payment of news content on Facebook.

The Australian government is currently considering whether to classify Meta under the 2021 News Media Bargaining Code. This would require Meta to negotiate with publishers or face fines of up to 10% of its Australian revenue.

Meta argues that currently, less than 3% of the content users interact with on Facebook is news-related.