Instagram and Threads will recommend political content now, says Adam Mosseri

Meta is reversing its stance on political content recommendations across Instagram and Threads, a significant policy shift announced by Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Nearly a year after restricting recommendations of political posts from accounts users don’t follow, Mosseri confirmed that political content will once again be included in the platforms’ recommendations.

“We’re going to be adding political content to recommendations,” Mosseri stated, signalling a departure from his 2023 vision of creating “a less angry place for conversations.” At the time, Meta sought to reduce the prominence of politics and hard news on its platforms to foster more positive interactions. However, with the Trump administration set to take over and Meta’s moderation policies undergoing a major overhaul, the company’s approach is evolving.

Previously, users had to opt in to view recommendations for political content. The new change, which begins rolling out in the US this week and globally next week, will set political content recommendations to a default “standard” level. Users will also have options to adjust their exposure to “less” or “more” through a content control setting.

In a series of posts on Threads, Mosseri explained the decision, acknowledging the complexity of categorising political content. “I’ve maintained very publicly and for a long time that it’s not our place to show people political content from accounts they don’t follow,” he said, adding that drawing clear boundaries around what constitutes political content has proven “impractical.”

In an Instagram video, Mosseri elaborated on the shift, noting that user feedback on political content has changed. “This is, by the way, very different from the feedback we were getting only a few years ago about people feeling that they were overly exposed to political content on our platforms,” he said.

This policy reversal coincides with a broader transformation within Meta, including new moderation rules and leadership changes. According to the Wall Street Journal, the move aligns with Meta’s friendlier approach to the Trump administration under its new policy chief. 

The updated policy will be implemented gradually, starting in the US. Meta aims to provide users with more control over their feeds, allowing them to tailor the visibility of political content through content control settings.