In recent days, Instagram has taken a controversial step by limit political content by default that its users see in the United States and in other parts of the world.
The measure was recently implemented without adequate communication to its users. This decision has generated a wave of criticism and concern for its impact on public discourse and the reach of political content creators.
Instagram limits political content
Following Meta's decision to limit political content on Instagram, the company has justified itself, arguing that it was the users who They have expressed their desire to see less political content on this social network.
But what raised eyebrows was the way in which this change was carried out. Instead of directly informing users or allowing them to choose the option, Instagram has turned on limiting political content by default in the “Suggested Content” section of the application settings.
Therefore, unless you find and change this option, You will not see political content from accounts you do not follow. Not only influencers and content creators would fall into this bag, but also politicians and public figures. The controversial measure has caused concern among political content creators, who their possibilities of expanding their audience and reaching new users are diminished.
Information bubbles
The fact that Instagram does not allow political content to be displayed raises questions about freedom of expression and access to various information on social networks. On the one hand, Meta runs the risk of create a kind of "bubble" where users only see content that confirms their existing beliefs, rather than being exposed to different perspectives and encouraging debate.
On the other hand, the implementation of this change in an election year in the United States has raised even more suspicions about the motivations behind this measure. Some critics suggest that Meta could be acting preventatively to avoid controversies similar to those it faced after the Capitol riots in 2021, when it was accused of not doing enough to stop misinformation and hate speech on its platforms.