Not everything gets past the censors on Instagram, but the company is about to change how they handle some of their more extreme photos. The company has announced that they will begin blurring out images that have been flagged as “sensitive” in order to limit what type of images people will see as they scroll through their feed. They company has announced that their actual guidelines will not change at all, just that some images will need an additional tap on the screen (or click, if you’re a monster who uses Instagram on their computer) to reveal the actual image.
In an email to The Verge, Instagram announced just what a “sensitive image” would entail. The company plans to begin by focusing on excessive violence:
“Examples include animal rights groups that share content to expose animal testing conditions or animal abuse, or content that raises awareness of humanitarian crises around the world (famine, the impact of war on communities) … Over time we will explore expanding the application of screens into other areas.”
The next “other area” the company would look to expand to would be sexually explicit photos.
Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, and people use it for many purposes. Since it is driven by a visual medium, it is understandable that the company would want to curb unexpected, disturbing images as people scroll through their feeds.
Anything that was banned in the past would still be banned from the site, but Instagram wants to “build a safe environment” for its users. However, if someone reports an Instagram post, their team will review it and decide whether or not a blurring screen is needed. These changes will go into effect immediately.
Think Instagram is making the right move with this change? Or is it just a needless addition to the platform. Let us know in the comments below.
