You may have noticed that you’re not seeing the “recent” tab when you explore a hashtag page or a decline in impressions from hashtags on your posts. Instagram says there is a reason for that and it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the election.

Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, is no stranger to being in the center of election drama. This election they have committed to being more proactive in preventing the spread of misinformation across their various platforms.

In the days leading up to the 2020 election, Instagram has temporarily hidden recent posts from all hashtags to help prevent the spread of possible false information and harmful content related to the election. You read that right: ALL hashtags! Even if your account/brand is not politically focused or your content is not election-themed, Instagram is limiting recent posts in hashtag pages so that no one has the opportunity to utilize an unrelated hashtag to spread misinformation. They have not announced when they will add the “recent” tab back to hashtag pages. My assumption is that they are playing it by ear as this election might drag on.

Facebook is using independent fact-checkers to review and label false information. The fact-checkers are made up of 45 third-party fact-checkers across the globe who are certified through the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network. Flagged content contains “false information, altered content, or content with missing context” on Facebook or Instagram. The content isn’t removed, however, but rather filtered from explore and hashtag pages, reducing its visibility in feeds and stories and limiting its viral spread.

When you run across flagged content, it’ll have a warning in front of the content and you’ll have the option to see the content anyway or see why it was flagged. If you choose to see why the content was flagged, you’ll also see the fact-checking organization and why they identified the post as false information.

Facebook and Instagram are also committed to sharing accurate information about voting. They provide information like: where to vote in your state, the type of identification you need to vote, and other information about how you can vote in your location, like voting by mail and early voting. They get this information from state and local governments as well as non-partisan partners. Facebook’s partners include Ballotpedia, CTCL DemocracyWorks, VoteRiders, and the Bipartisan Policy Center.

What do you think? Has Facebook and Instagram done enough to help slow the spread of false or misleading information? Too little, too late? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!

This also serves as a GREAT reminder that when your audience/customer base is solely built on social media you are letting someone else dictate and/or limit when and how you can contact them. What’s the solution? Build an email list! It’s a one-to-one digital communication and Zuckerberg & Co. can’t stand in your way.

While we’re on the email subject - sign up for my emails below! 😉 I’ll pop in your inbox sparingly and make sure you stay up to date on the latest digital marketing trends and more.

ICYMI: Instagram Temporarily Hid Recent Posts from Hashtag Pages