Instagram’s latest change could make my generation the most ignorant ever

Instagram has made a significant change recently. If you happen to be one of the app’s 1.4 billion users, and if you care about the future of liberal society, you should know about it.

On February 9, the social media platform announced via a blog post it would no longer “proactively recommend content about politics”. That is, its algorithm will no longer suggest political content produced by accounts that you do not follow through the explore, reels, in-feed recommendations and suggested users functions.

Instagram has introduced changes to how users see political content.Credit: iStock

The first, and most obvious, issue with this change is that political content is wide-ranging. As Instagram noted, it is “potentially related to things like laws, elections, or social topics”. That means, then, no more BBC posts about international elections, no more New York Times reels popping up with commentators discussing foreign disasters. It also means no content from media outlets or individual creators addressing local issues like state housing policies or supermarket price gouging – unless you already follow these accounts.

This change has largely flown under the radar, but it poses a serious threat – particularly to my generation.

Millions of people now get much of their news from social media, but none more so than Gen Z, often from Instagram. Researchers from Western Sydney University found in 2020 that Instagram is the most popular source of news for teenagers, with 49 per cent accessing current affairs this way.

For good or bad, matters of substance reach us from Instagram’s “explore” page. That’s where I learned Yemen was in crisis, that Russia had invaded Ukraine, that Anthony Albanese had been elected prime minister. That’s where, each day, my peers and I go to see images of protest and progress, footage of discourse and disarray.

This change will restrict many users’ view of the world. It is possible to opt back in through your settings – but only if you know about the change. When I asked them, none of my friends had heard anything about it.

Instagram isn’t alone in this, either. In April, Facebook will “deprecate” Facebook News, meaning news will be less prominent on the platform, as its commercial deals with Australian media organisations have not been renewed.

This change, when paired with Instagram’s latest update and the US government currently considering a ban on TikTok, poses a real threat. A decline of content produced by credible sources will see the flow of information shift into more dubious hands, and more young people being less exposed to current affairs. In other words, social media risks creating the most uninformed generation ever. Ignorance will be the order of the day.

What would the Black Lives Matter movement have looked like if Instagram wasn’t recommending political content in 2020? Would as many young people be engaged in the cost of living crisis or the rising costs of higher education?

This change will potentially blind millions of people to some of the most important issues of our time.

Some might argue that Instagram’s change is positive. While information from reputable and verified sources will be limited, so too will some disinformation be curtailed – that is a silver lining.

It could also be argued that serious matters are not suited to social media, that my generation should get its news and ideas from accountable media organisations, such as this masthead. Yet, rightly or wrongly, the reality is that many of those who get their news from social media will not seek news elsewhere. This is true of young people in particular – our attention spans are too short, our library cards discarded.

My generation stands to lose a great deal in Instagram’s change. In a significant election year – the US, India and Britain all go to the polls – this is even more important. Gen Z is a growing political power; a great deal hangs in the balance when our ability to see news and debate is threatened.

To all Instagram users, and particularly those of my generation, do me and yourself a favour – go to your Instagram settings, find “suggested content”, and turn on “political content”. Let’s not don the blindfold just yet.

Daniel Cash is a law student at the Australian National University.

The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.