On Tuesday Instagram announced that it is introducing a set of new features — which include Limits, stronger warnings when people try to post potentially offensive comments, and a global roll out of Hidden Words.
Instagram introduces Limits
Instagram said that Limits will automatically hide comments and DM requests from people who don’t follow you, or who only recently followed you. Instagram said that it is adding this feature because of recent complaints about the spike of offensive and abusive comments towards content creators on the platform.
“We developed this feature because we heard that creators and public figures sometimes experience sudden spikes of comments and DM requests from people they don’t know,” Instagram’s Adam Mosseri said.
Mosseri also added that some people get a lot of comments on their posts because of recent public victories like winning an Olympics medal and although this might be a good thing some people might not be comfortable with their comments section flooded with comments from strangers. He said that not all comments might mean well — some might be abusive. Users now have an option to turn Limits on to receive comments and DMs only from people they know.
Mosseri said that their research from 2020 showed that a lot of public figures received negative comments from people who don’t follow them. He alluded to the recent Euro 2020 finals which resulted in a spike in racist abuse towards players.
“Creators also tell us they don’t want to switch off comments and messages completely; they still want to hear from their community and build those relationships. Limits allows you to hear from your long-standing followers, while limiting contact from people who might only be coming to your account to target you,” Mosseri said.
Stronger warnings to discourage abuse
Instagram already has a warning feature when someone tries to add a potentially abusive comment. This includes a refresher on the community standards of the platform. If a person proceeds with their comment even though the warning message popped up, they are at risk of having their comment removed.
Earlier this year, the platform also announced Hidden Words, which allows you to automatically filter offensive words, phrases, and emojis into a Hidden Folder, that you never have to open if you don’t want to. This feature will now roll out to the rest of the world.
Last month Instagram introduced a new feature to give users more control over what appears on their Explore. It is also looking to improve its systems to find and remove abusive content more quickly and hold those who post it accountable.