You’ll also see expanded blocking and filtering.
Instagram is ramping up its anti-abuse efforts, including a not-so-subtle reminder to stay civil. When you message a creator, the company will send you “kindness reminders” asking you to “keep Instagram a supportive place.” This is unlikely to deter committed trolls when it launches in the “coming weeks,” but the social network clearly hopes it will give people pause before hurling insults in a fit of rage. When responding to potentially offensive comments, you’ll see similar prompts.
- Instagram is developing message “nudity protection” technology.
- Even more posts from accounts you don’t follow will be displayed on Facebook and Instagram.
Filters should also be more useful. Instagram is testing an approach that would enable Hidden Words comment and DM filtering by default for creator accounts. You wouldn’t have to switch it on to keep toxic language out of discussions. All users can now use Hidden Words to screen Story replies (they’ll sit in the Hidden Requests folder), and the company will soon begin filtering English DM requests involving scams and spam.
You may also have an easier time blocking elusive abusers. On top of the existing power to automatically block new accounts someone creates, you can now auto-block accounts that user already has. A harasser can’t just switch to an alternate account to make your life miserable.
The additions come as Instagram faces pressure from the Senate, UK regulators and others to curb abuse and privacy violations, particularly for teens. That’s in addition to the continued fallout from whistleblower Frances Haugen’s allegations that parent company Meta knowingly pushes anger-inducing content. Updates like this theoretically show that Instagram wants to calm things down.
