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We are approaching the 2024 US elections fast, and social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) seem to be ramping up their efforts to limit the visibility of political content, including posts encouraging the masses to vote.
Although these platforms aim to reduce misinformation, many users claim that even posts and profiles with nonpartisan messaging are being concealed or “shadowbanned”.
Political Content Policies
Meta, Instagram’s parent company, has increased its focus on curbing political content across all its platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
In early 2024 Meta had announced that political posts related to laws, elections, and societal issues would no longer be proactively recommended to other users.
Users may still post about these topics, but these posts are less likely to gain traction or appear in other people’s feeds unless users actively seek them out.
The announcement marked a significant change from previous election cycles where social media was used as a powerful tool to encourage and mobilize voters.
Meta’s argument now is that this change is to control the spread of misinformation and prevent its platforms from being used as a battleground for political disinformation and discourse.
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Shadowbanning and Restricting Political Content
Shadowbanning has become a common phenomenon on social media in recent times particularly due to the turbulent social and political environment today.
Many content creators, political activists, and influencers who actively share their political views online are now finding that their reach and engagement significantly reduces when they post about political topics, views, and interactions dwindling and posts seemingly reaching fewer people than before.
This practice of limiting the visibility of posts or profiles without notifying the user, or shadowbanning, has become prevalent on platforms like Instagram, where political posts from even individuals with private profiles are suppressed. As a result, posts about voting or other political news and activities may only appear to a small portion of the intended audience.
Instagram users have expressed frustration with this tactic for a long time, especially since it does not seem to exclude nonpartisan posts that simply encourage civic participation in voting.
Meta’s Official Stance
Meta has continuously defended itself against allegations of shadowbanning and restricting political content, citing the need to make platforms more user-friendly and reduce toxicity.
By limiting the spread of polarizing content, Meta claims that its intention is only to protect users from the kind of misinformation that has affected elections previously.
Critics argue, however, that this strategy goes too far and suppresses legitimate discussions, curbing freedom of expression in the digital public sphere.
Instagram does allow users to adjust content preferences in settings, giving them the option to see more political posts.
This option is not widely known or accessible to casual users of the app, and as a result, many people continue to be unaware their feeds are being filtered to include fewer posts regarding political information.
Broader Implications for Democracy
With the US Elections approaching fast, suppression of political posts on Instagram raises questions about the role of social media in democratic participation.
In previous elections, platforms like Instagram and Facebook had significant roles in voter mobilization, particularly among the younger generations who rely on these platforms for news information and social connections.
Limiting the visibility of political posts on Meta platforms risks undermining the efforts to get young people to engage in politics, and passively contributes to voter disengagement.
For many political organizers, Instagram has been a crucial tool for reaching potential voters, especially new ones, who may not typically engage with traditional media.
Now when political posts about voting are being restricted, concerns are rising regarding its negative impact on voter turnout among younger generations and marginalized communities.
How to Bypass Restrictions
Despite Meta’s efforts to limit political content, users have found several ways to bypass these restrictions, with several Instagram users resorting to using coded language and censoring or avoiding certain keywords such as “vote”, to ensure that their posts reach broader audiences.
Activists also turn to platforms like X and TikTok where political content is still more accessible, although these platforms have recently introduced certain content restrictions as well.
Content creators have also begun to share educational posts about adjusting Instagram settings to enable seeing more political content on news feeds and For You pages. These methods are not always effective, particularly due to the constantly evolving algorithms.
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The 2024 Elections and Social Media
Instagram’s decision to restrict political posts including nonpartisan calls to vote, reflects broader concerns about misinformation and polarization in the public social media sphere.
These policies also have unintended consequences, limiting civic engagement and making it difficult for users to find and share critical information about elections.
The 2024 US elections are almost here, and we are yet to see how shadowbanning and political restriction on social media will affect voter participation and mobilization.
If you are concerned about your content being suppressed, or that political content is being suppressed from you, the best course of action is to stay informed about platform policies and consider alternative ways to encourage civic participation, whether through other social media apps or community organizing outside the digital sphere.
