In a recent blog post, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) announced its plans to expand its existing Reels policy that limits political content from appearing in recommended feeds. The new policy will now encompass Meta’s Threads and Instagram platforms, allowing users to avoid political content unless they explicitly choose to engage with it.
Recognizing the importance of preserving individual choice, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, stated that the goal is to give users the ability to interact with political content based on their personal preferences. These changes will be gradually implemented over the next few weeks.
To maintain a balance between user preferences and freedom of expression, Meta will allow users to disable the limitation within their account settings. This means that users who still wish to see content related to governments, elections, or social issues can opt to have it recommended to them.
The updated policy will apply to public accounts when enabled and only in areas where content is recommended, such as Explore, Reels, in-feed recommendations, and suggested users. However, users will still be able to view political content from accounts they choose to follow. This ensures that accounts ineligible for recommendation can continue sharing political content with their followers through their feed and Stories.
For content creators, the expansion of Meta’s policies brings implications for the visibility and reach of their political content. According to Meta, accounts that are not eligible for recommendation will have none of their content recommended, regardless of whether it complies with the recommendations guidelines. This means that creators need to be mindful of their eligibility status to ensure their content reaches a broader audience.
Professional accounts on Instagram will soon have access to the Account Status feature, which will enable them to monitor the impact of posting political content on their eligibility for recommendation. Additionally, they can use Account Status to contest decisions that revoke their eligibility. Creators may also consider editing, removing, or pausing politically related posts until their account becomes eligible for recommendation again.
These recent policy expansions align with Meta’s efforts to distance itself from the realm of news and politics in recent years. In 2022, Facebook found that less than 3 percent of the content seen by its US users is politically related. Mosseri has previously stated that political content is not actively encouraged on Threads or Instagram due to the limited engagement it provides. Furthermore, the platforms aim to mitigate potential scrutiny and negativity that could arise during significant events such as the 2024 presidential election.
The expansion of Meta’s policies to limit the visibility of political content across Instagram and Threads reflects the company’s commitment to giving users greater control over their content consumption. By allowing users to choose their level of exposure to political content, Meta aims to maintain a balance between individual preferences and the importance of free expression. Content creators should be mindful of their eligibility for recommendation and utilize the Account Status feature to optimize the reach of their political content. These updates reinforce Meta’s ongoing efforts to create a more personalized and non-political experience on its platforms.
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