Instagram’s chief, Adam Mosseri, has announced that its parent company, Meta, will soon reduce the promotion of political content on both Instagram and Threads. Although users can still see political posts from accounts they’re following, the platforms will no longer actively promote these types of posts.
The change is set to be rolled out gradually over the upcoming weeks. It will affect public accounts, especially in sections of the apps where Meta’s recommendation algorithms come into play, such as Instagram’s Reels, Explore areas, and Threads’ suggested users feature.
Mosseri didn’t specify what exactly qualifies as “political” content, but a Meta spokesperson explained that it would include subjects connected to government affairs, elections, and social issues.
Meta’s broader plan with this update is to reduce the visibility of sensitive content recommendations by default. Users with a keen interest in political subjects will have the opportunity to modify their content preferences in the app settings of Instagram and Threads. This way, the visibility of posts from followed accounts will not be affected.
This policy is in line with Meta’s ongoing efforts to avoid amplifying contentious topics on Threads. The company has already been excluding topics deemed “potentially sensitive” from Threads’ search results, which cover areas such as vaccines and COVID-19.
Meta’s move to reshape the content landscape of its platforms signals a deliberate strategy to distance itself from promoting “politics and hard news,” striving to create a space that’s less focused on these hot-button conversations.
