Instagram has made a significant change recently. If you happen to be one of the app’s 1.4 billion users, and if you care about the future of liberal society, you should know about it.
On February 9, the social media platform announced via a blog post it would no longer “proactively recommend content about politics”. That is, its algorithm will no longer suggest political content produced by accounts that you do not follow through the explore, reels, in-feed recommendations and suggested users functions.
Instagram has introduced changes to how users see political content.Credit: iStock
The first, and most obvious, issue with this change is that political content is wide-ranging. As Instagram noted, it is “potentially related to things like laws, elections, or social topics”. That means, then, no more BBC posts about international elections, no more New York Times reels popping up with commentators discussing foreign disasters. It also means no content from media outlets or individual creators addressing local issues like state housing policies or supermarket price gouging – unless you already follow these accounts.
This change has largely flown under the radar, but it poses a serious threat – particularly to my generation.
Millions of people now get much of their news from social media, but none more so than Gen Z, often from Instagram. Researchers from Western Sydney University found in 2020 that Instagram is the most popular source of news for teenagers, with 49 per cent accessing current affairs this way.
For good or bad, matters of substance reach us from Instagram’s “explore” page. That’s where I learned Yemen was in crisis, that Russia had invaded Ukraine, that Anthony Albanese had been elected prime minister. That’s where, each day, my peers and I go to see images of protest and progress, footage of discourse and disarray.
This change will restrict many users’ view of the world. It is possible to opt back in through your settings – but only if you know about the change. When I asked them, none of my friends had heard anything about it.
Instagram isn’t alone in this, either. In April, Facebook will “deprecate” Facebook News, meaning news will be less prominent on the platform, as its commercial deals with Australian media organisations have not been renewed.
Instagram’s latest change could make my generation the most ignorant ever
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26.03.2024
Instagram has made a significant change recently. If you happen to be one of the app’s 1.4 billion users, and if you care about the future of liberal society, you should know about it.
On February 9, the social media platform announced via a blog post it would no longer “proactively recommend content about politics”. That is, its algorithm will no longer suggest political content produced by accounts that you do not follow through the explore, reels, in-feed recommendations and suggested users functions.
Instagram has introduced changes to how users see political content.Credit:........
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