Some users on Instagram and Threads complain that a new setting to limit political content, which Meta announced in February, is enabled by default
I've come to realize that a lot of the most vocal social media users are outrage farmers who enjoy trainwrecks they can complain about. — Threads isn't giving them that so they're mad [embedded post] X: Olayemi Olurin / @msolurin : Did yal know Instagram was actively limiting the reach of political content like this?! I had no idea til I saw this comment and I checked my settings and sho nuff political content was limited 😯 [image] Matt / @mattxiv : instagram quietly introducing a “political” content preference and turning on “limit” by default is insane? [image] @saeeddicaprio : kinda insane how they only did this after people started sharing about pаlestine Caroline Haskins / @car0linehaskins : I totally missed this from Feb when Instagram automatically stopped recommending “political content” for all users ... literally learned this in an instagram story that I assumed wasn't real at first [image] Caroline Haskins / @car0linehaskins : I get that content moderation is hard/expensive, the fear of algorithmic rabbit holes is real. But every post going through sentiment analysis to keep anything political/uncomfortable out of feeds by default...uhh yeah idk Michaela Okland / @michaelaokla : Instagram put up a new “limit political content” feature in settings and set it as the default for tons of accounts. The timing of this feature is very suspect to me, but anyway here is how to fix it [image] Forums: Ars OpenForum : Instagram users outraged by app limiting political content ahead of elections See also Mediagazer
Ars TechnicaAshley Belanger
Context & Ripple Effects
Meta had already said it would stop proactively recommending political content from accounts users do not follow, extending that approach across Threads, Facebook and Instagram. This report brings the policy into focus as a product-default question rather than merely a recommendation-policy change.
For affected Instagram and Threads users, the default can reduce recommended political content from accounts they do not follow unless they change the preference.
Political and news-focused accounts that depend on recommendations face a more constrained path to reach non-followers on the two apps.
Second-order effects
Creators and publishers have an incentive to direct audiences toward follows, notifications and other channels rather than relying on algorithmic discovery.
The complaints make Meta’s default design and labeling part of the policy debate: a control framed as user choice can still materially shape distribution when it is enabled by default.
Third-order effects
If platforms increasingly govern sensitive content through recommendation defaults, distribution rules may move from visible feed moderation toward less visible limits on proactive recommendations.
This is an instance of consent architecture: the durability of such controls will depend on whether users understand the setting and whether platforms treat defaults as a meaningful expression of user preference.
The trend: Social platforms are shifting political-content governance from blanket removal toward recommendation controls and user-preference defaults.
I get that, but I think it'll actually have the opposite effect. Meta defines “political content” as ANY “social topics that affect a group of people and/or society at large.” Posts about gen*cide, r*cism, anti-LGBTQ h*te, tr*nsphobia, etc. will all be buried. So will all repo…
By setting the default to “opt-out”, Meta is severely limiting the reach of political content and social content and civil rights content on Threads and Instagram, in so doing Meta is disincentivizing the creation of that content on this platform.
Meta knows that the vast majority of people don't go into app settings for this sort of thing -there's a robust literature around opt-in versus opt-out. By setting the default as “opt-out” and requiring users to know they have to opt-in and actually do so, Meta is basically kill…
the reason meta is effectively neutering political content is for two reasons. 1. they know how it’s impacted basically every election since 2014 - and they want to pretend it never was a thing 2. if any sort of tiktok ban happens they get back their basic monopoly on our dig…
Instagram is quite literally trying to ruin its own platform. Now we have ads IN BETWEEN user stories. Not in between users. In between ONE persons stories. WHY?! @mosseri STOP IT.
Meta won't let political content be treated the same as all other content, but this is what they choose to engage with. 🙄 [Image of @Instagram replying to Bella Poarch on Threads]
Without these actions, what appears in your recommended content will be different, including content related to subjects like laws, elections, civil rights, and other social issues on Instagram and Threads. Make the choices that best reflect what you want to see and encourage ot…
Oh, so Meta is confirming that content concerning civil rights is being suppressed as political content on the platform. Hell of a thing for Meta's VP of civil rights to say.
Check your settings, folks. It looks like Meta has, by default, opted everyone out form seeing political content. This is so shady. Mine was opted out this whole time and I had no idea.
Friendly reminder that @meta's new policy about “political” content also applies to science and health content: anything they deem “social that impacts large groups of people” Head to your settings, content preferences, political content, and don't limit. …
There's plenty of political content on Threads if you follow and interact with political accounts. — I've come to realize that a lot of the most vocal social media users are outrage farmers who enjoy trainwrecks they can complain about. — Threads isn't giving them that so the…
Did yal know Instagram was actively limiting the reach of political content like this?! I had no idea til I saw this comment and I checked my settings and sho nuff political content was limited 😯 [image]
I totally missed this from Feb when Instagram automatically stopped recommending “political content” for all users ... literally learned this in an instagram story that I assumed wasn't real at first [image]
Instagram put up a new “limit political content” feature in settings and set it as the default for tons of accounts. The timing of this feature is very suspect to me, but anyway here is how to fix it [image]
I get that content moderation is hard/expensive, the fear of algorithmic rabbit holes is real. But every post going through sentiment analysis to keep anything political/uncomfortable out of feeds by default...uhh yeah idk