Meta’s Puts in Motion New Political Content Policy on Instagram, Threads
Meta Platforms is rolling out a new political content policy on its social platforms, Instagram and Threads, giving users three visibility settings: less, standard, or more, without the option to block any Meta political post.
The new Meta political policy, launching in the US this week and globally next week, rings the bell of the social giant’s pivot toward “free expression,” in the aftermath of its decision to eliminate fact-checking across its socials.
Meta Restricting Political Content
The Meta and political content new policy lets users select from the three levels but doesn’t entirely allow blocking political content on Threads and other platforms. The change follows Meta’s decision to stop using fact-checkers on its socials in what Zuckerberg described as a broader shift toward free speech.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and Threads, initially opposed Meta political content on both platforms. He added that, due to the responses of the users, it seemed that they preferred seeing more political posts. The general users demanded an increase in both Instagram and threads political content. Thus, Meta thought again over their policy.
Political Landscape and Possible Risks
It’s part of the big swing of the political temperature in the US, the possibility of Donald Trump coming back to the White House,” said Drew Benvie, chief executive of social media consultancy Battenhall.
Benvie added that alone may be enough to push users toward Bluesky or other competitors with a sense hat Threads and Instagram had been “safe spaces” compared to the wider platform X.
Benvie was also alarmed with how fast the Meta disinformation would now spread over the platforms, collectively home to more than 2 billion users.
Earlier, Mosseri said that Instagram and Threads should not focus on political communities; the core must be sports, music, and fashion communities. He does know the risks which come by allowing Instagram political posts to thrive scrutiny and challenges of integrity.
“My hope is that this focus on free speech will help us do even a bit better along that path,” he said in a video posted recently on Instagram.
Meta Political Content Prospects
Reactions to the Meta political policy change are quite mixed. Some Instagram users praised it as a step toward free speech, while others vocalized serious concern about misinformation and hate speech targeting vulnerable groups.
Brooke Erin Duffy, a professor at Cornell University, said such moderation policies may heighten the vulnerability of already-marginalized creators, including women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community.
She also expressed apprehension that far-right influencers might benefit from the changes.
Removing content moderation mechanisms does question the mushrooming of harmful Meta political content on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. As these changes roll out, the social media scene will closely observe how the Meta political shift influences discourse and platform dynamics.
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