Political content increases on Instagram and Threads

Threads and Instagram users will see more political content from people they don't follow, parent company Meta announced.

The company says it's part of its repositioning towards “free expression” – a move that has seen it grow Ditch the fact-checkers Tuesday.

The change will roll out in the U.S. this week and then globally soon.

It represents a U-turn from Adam Mosseri, the head of both platforms, who has previously said he disapproved of their promotion of posts about politics and news.

Explaining the change, he said users were “demanding more” of this type of content.

But Drew Benvie, chief executive of social media consultancy Battenhall, questioned whether that was accurate, saying the appeal of Instagram and Threads was that they were “safe spaces” without the “security” seen on platforms like X turbulent development.”

The real motivation, he said, was the “changing political winds” in the United States, with Donald Trump soon set to return to the White House.

He predicted that this could drive people to competitors such as Bluesky, but she also worried about the impact it would have on those who remain on the Meta platform.

He warned that this week's changes “will make it possible for massive amounts of false information to spread rapidly among a user base of more than two billion people.”

Mosseri said that by 2023, Threads and Instagram should focus on “amazing communities” such as “sports, music and fashion.”

“Any incremental engagement or revenue they might bring simply isn’t worth the scrutiny, negativity (to be honest) or the integrity risk that comes with it,” he wrote in a Threads post at the time.

But in a new post on the platform, he now explained the reason That position was abandoned, saying “drawing red lines between political and non-political content has proven impractical” – with users demanding more content be shown, not less.

Mr. Mosseri said Instagram, which Meta bought for $1 billion in 2012, was founded on creativity and the value of “giving everyone a voice.”

“My hope is that a focus on free speech will help us do better on this path,” he said In an Instagram video.

Already have considerable criticism Meta has announced some changes and expressed concerns about the impact on minority groups.

Some users have also reacted with frustration to these latest changes on Threads and Instagram.

“Well, it's time to delete the Threads app. It's great that it lasts,” one Threads user said in response to Mosseri's post.

On Instagram, Mosseri said accounts that focus on politics now “don't have to worry about becoming unworthy of recommendations” to other users, with some users praising the move as “a good step toward platform freedom.”

However, many are also concerned that increased content recommendations about social issues and politics could amplify misinformation and hate speech.

Brooke Erin Duffy, associate professor of communications at Cornell University, said there will be “winners and losers” from Meta's content moderation changes.

“Marginalized creators, including women, people of color and LGBTQ+ communities, may face greater harm with fewer recourse mechanisms,” she told BBC News.

“At the same time, given the easing of hate speech policies, we may see an increase in content created by far-right or ideologically extreme influencers.”