In its latest attempt to weed out inappropriate posts, Instagram has become even harsher than before. From now on, all “sexually suggestive” posts will be hidden from a wider Instagram community. They don’t even have to violate the Community Guidelines: it’s enough that Instagram considers them even remotely inappropriate.
When a post goes against Instagram’s Community Guidelines, it simply gets deleted. Even if it’s famous artwork. However, Instagram claims that some posts might not be appropriate for its global community even if it complies with the rules. From now on, Instagram will limit those types of posts from being recommended on Explore and hashtag pages. This means that such posts will still appear in your Feed if you follow the account that posts it. However, it won’t appear for the broader audience in Explore and hashtag pages.
Two years ago, Instagram started blurring out everything that was flagged as “sensitive.” But okay, it would still appear in Explore and hashtag pages. But this new system could affect many users: photographers, models, some businesses… On its Help page, Instagram gives a vague explanation that “sexually suggestive” posts will be hidden from the wide audience. I believe this means that your photo doesn’t even have to depict anything explicit; it’s enough to be estimated as “suggestive.” If you ask me, it can be quite subjective what this means, and it can affect the reach for many photographers. Those of you who shoot fashion, portraits, lifestyle, not to mention boudoir, you might have your photos hidden from the global Instagram community. As if it weren’t difficult enough to build your audience and achieve a high reach organically. [via TechCrunch]
