Meta has recently announced significant changes to its approach regarding political content recommendations on Instagram and Threads during the 2024 election cycle. The company has stated that it will no longer actively suggest political content to users through features such as Explore, Reels, In-Feed Recommendations, and Suggested Users.
The primary objective behind this decision is to create a positive experience for all users on Instagram and Threads. While people will still have the freedom to follow accounts that share political content, Meta aims to avoid actively promoting such content from accounts users do not follow. However, it is important to note that if an account that is not eligible for recommendations posts political content related to laws, elections, or social issues, their followers will still be able to see it in their feeds and stories.
To cater to user preferences, Meta plans to introduce controls that will enable individuals to customize their political content experience on both Threads and Instagram. Additionally, similar controls will be implemented on Facebook in the future.
This decision by Meta is part of a broader strategy to modify how political content is ranked on Facebook feeds. The company is moving away from prioritizing user engagement as the sole factor in determining the visibility of political content. Instead, Meta’s AI systems will consider personalized signals, such as survey responses, to understand which content is informative, meaningful, and valuable to users. Meta also takes into account the likelihood of users providing negative feedback on political posts in the Facebook Feed.
For Instagram users looking to reduce the number of political advertisements they encounter, the platform offers a straightforward process. By accessing the settings, clicking on Accounts Center, and selecting Ad preferences, users can navigate to Ad topics. Here, they can choose to see less content related to Social Issues, Elections, or Politics.
Meta’s decision reflects its commitment to creating platforms that cater to user preferences while balancing the dissemination of political content. By introducing customizable controls, users can tailor their experience to align with their interests and values.
The source of the article is from the blog lisboatv.pt