Understanding Meta’s New Setting to Limit Political Content Recommendations

The tech industry has been evolving rapidly, and social media platforms like Instagram and Threads are constantly adapting to meet user preferences. Meta, the parent company of these platforms, recently introduced a new opt-out setting that limits recommendations of “political content.” This setting aims to give users more control over the type of content they see in their feeds.

The new setting can be found under the “Content preferences” section in your Instagram account settings. It is called “Limit political content from people you don’t follow” and is enabled by default. This setting also applies to Threads, as the app shares its account system with Instagram. Meta has emphasized that this setting is all about user choice and does not restrict the reach of political content from accounts that users choose to follow.

Meta executives have explained that they do not want to boost posts about politics in their apps because they believe that most users do not want to see such content in their feeds. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri has been vocal about the company’s motivation, stating that while politics and hard news are important, the potential engagement and revenue they might drive are not worth the scrutiny, negativity, or integrity risks associated with them.

Although the new setting was first announced in early February, it has only recently started rolling out widely. As of now, Meta has not sent any in-app notifications to alert users about the default setting. This lack of notification could potentially lead to users being unaware of the change and its implications on their content preferences.

Meta’s decision to limit recommendations of political content reflects a shift in the company’s approach to user engagement and content curation. By allowing users to opt out of political content recommendations, Meta is prioritizing user choice and preferences. However, the lack of transparency in notifying users about the default setting may raise concerns about the company’s communication with its user base. Ultimately, it is up to individual users to review and adjust their settings based on their personal preferences.