Instagram releases option that limits the display of political content

From now on, Instagram users will be able to limit the number of political posts they see in Explore, Reels, Recommendations and Suggested Users. O Mashable reinforces that the resource will not change the content of accounts that the person follows.

The measures imposed by Meta are due to concerns about the spread of false information, misinformation and extremism on social media.

Instagram bars political content

• The timing for the feature to go live is complicated, as elections around the world (including in Brazil) are coming up;
• Instagram defines political content as “likely to mention governments, elections, or social topics that affect a group of people and/or society in general”;
• However, critics point out that social media giants are crucial for providing information, keeping communities engaged and allowing users to know what affects people globally;
• And many have noticed that the language around what Instagram defines as “political” is vague, meaning that such boundaries have the potential to accept content about women’s rights, climate change, race, and issues related to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Enabling the new feature

Apparently, not all profiles already have the feature – the Digital Look updated the application (on Android) and still haven’t seen the new feature available – while some who already have it have seen that it was enabled by default. To access it, do the following in the Instagram app for smartphones (iOS and Android):

1. Go to your profile;
2. Click on the three bars in the upper right corner;
3. Search in the search bar or scroll to “Content Suggestion”;
4. Click on “Political Content”;
5. There are two options available: “Do not limit” and “Limit”.

To the The VergeAndy Stone, a spokesperson for Meta, reported in February that the resource would begin to be released last week.

The Verge