Does Restricting Content on Social Media Present Issues?

The trend of social media companies deeming content as “sensitive” continues as default settings restrict what users can and cannot see.

Instagram recently rolled out an expansion of its Sensitive Content Control options. This feature was initially launched in July 2021 and automatically activated for all users. At first, this content control only covered Instagram’s “Explore” page. Now it will cover all sections of the social media platform.

“Starting today, the Sensitive Content Control will cover all surfaces where we make recommendations,” Instagram wrote in a statement. In addition to Explore, you will now be able to control the amount of sensitive content and accounts you see in Search, Reels, Accounts You Might Follow, Hashtag Pages and In-Feed Recommendations. With this update, we’re also applying the technology we use to enforce our Recommendation Guidelines to Instagram’s recommendations on Search and Hashtag pages. This update will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.”

Instagram further noted it believes this new expansion will limit exposure to “harmful” content in its app. Instagram is not the only social media platform to double down on content moderation. Twitter rolled out a sorting filter which algorithmically creates a feed based on a user’s communities. This new roll out will give users the option to sort their communities feed by either ‘Latest’ or ‘For You.’

“The setting each person chooses will become the new default every time they visit that Community,” Twitter penned on its website. “The setting is unique to each Community and can be changed at any given moment, giving people the ability to choose and customize how they view each of their Communities separately based on their preference.”

This change by Twitter signals a shift from showing users what’s happening right now to curating specific content users will engage with. Similar to Twitter, Instagram’s content sensitivity model selectively restricts content based on your answers. As a result, both of these social media have a significant say in the news that makes it to people’s feeds.

Considering more and more people are going to digital sources such as Twitter and Instagram for news, this could present an issue. Digital media is championed for being an equally accessible space for opinion and debate. By restricting information for users automatically, social media organizations could harm the public’s access to information about what is happening in their communities.