As the political season heats up, Instagram and Threads are taking steps to limit the amount of political content that users see on their feeds. These changes, which restrict the reach of political content from unfamiliar accounts, are now in place by default. If you’re wondering how to bring this type of content back to your feed, check out our guide on adjusting Instagram’s political settings.
Meta has been working to decrease the amount of news and political content on its platforms, particularly content that is suggested by algorithms rather than directly connected to an individual or account. Threads will feature news, but will not “amplify” it, according to comments made by head Adam Mosseri last year. Facebook is also shutting down its News Tab and continuing to block news in Canada as a result of a disagreement with a law requiring platforms to pay publishers for their content.
So what exactly constitutes a political post or topic on Instagram? The answer is both expansive and vague, encompassing anything “potentially related to laws, elections, or social topics.” As for the reasoning behind these changes and what it reveals about Meta’s priorities across its various social platforms, well, you’ll have to tune in to today’s episode to find out.
