Instagram, which quickly became one of the most popular social networks, added to its list of new features this month. In an interview with Time, Adam Mossery (CEO of Instagram) announced updates regarding the platform’s anti-abusive policy.
New features
Thanks to AI-based features, users will be notified if they intend to post a comment that may be considered offensive to the person who posted the content. In addition, Mossery also talked about the upcoming appearance of Restrict, a feature that will allow users to hide the comments of specific people without notifying this user about the ban.
This happened after Mossery had already prompted users to hide likes on Instagram trying to make the platform safer and less costly for owners, which caused mixed reactions.
Possible threats
Although the intention behind this update aimed at protecting users can certainly be called good, such steps by large social networks may have unforeseen, dire consequences for entrepreneurs in the future, because they are a symptom of a much wider trend of selective censorship in social networks. networks.
What can be expected in this case and what can be done so that a business tied to this social network can succeed in the conditions of these changes?
What to expect
Start with the fact that if a brand publishes truly offensive content, you should not. This is the easiest and easiest solution.
Although it’s very nice to see platforms struggling with insults on the Internet, which is a huge problem, potential difficulties are related to how they do it. These social networks are currently deciding what content to display to users. Thus, they are becoming more and more similar to media or publishing companies, in contrast to neutral platforms where they exchange ideas and open enterprises of all kinds. This is a kind of roulette game: whether these changes will affect your company or not.
For example, if you have your own boxing gym, who knows, will Instagram ultimately find your content offensive, since it is cruel in essence? The same thing happens if you have an online store with sexual health products or a cigar store.
Thus, in light of the evolving trend, if your content does not quite match the values of decision makers in Silicon Valley, you may not be lucky. This whole assessment is very subjective, given that each person has his own values, his own view of the world and his perception of the surrounding reality.
On the one hand, do not worry about this update on Instagram. In fact, it’s very good that they try to curb online insults on this social network. But censorship is, of course, a slippery slope that can affect a large number of businessmen. What to do in this case?
Create your own email list and website.
Whatever you do, do not become dependent on any one platform. This will ultimately turn against you. Platforms are created spontaneously and die unexpectedly, they can change their algorithms without warning, and they can decide that your content does not comply with their ethics.
Instead, use these platforms as something else, such as a springboard that can help drive traffic or act as a tool to raise awareness about your own website and mailing list.
Create accounts on platforms other than Instagram and Facebook
Remember that Instagram belongs to Facebook, and with all its incredible features, they have some big flaws. Due to their recent privacy concerns, which have lowered user confidence, Facebook is currently experiencing significant difficulties. Instagram, which currently after the departure of its founders, run by people holding high posts on Facebook, runs the risk of going the same way.
To combat this, pay more attention and budget to platforms like Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Experiment with their ad sites to see what works best for your company. To simplify content creation, you can always use tools such as Buffer, Hootsuite or Agorapulse, which allows you to plan content in advance.
Do not be silent
In the end, you can also fight back. If your content is censored or you are prohibited from posting it and you do not agree with this decision, file an appeal. Contact Instagram and explain why you think your content should not be considered offensive to your audience.
If this does not work, tell your story to local reporters and news agencies, most likely they will want to cover it. Remember that these are huge corporations with quarterly quotas that they must follow in order to satisfy their shareholders, so public opinion is extremely important for them.