Platform Efforts
Terms of Use: Instagram’s terms of use states users “can’t impersonate others or provide inaccurate information.” Similarly, users cannot do anything misleading for an “illegal or unauthorized purpose.”
Instagram enforces this policy by removing any content violating the terms of use. Instagram also works with independent fact-checkers to combat misinformation, often adding a notice of additional context to checked posts.
Community notes: Instagram provides users an avenue to write and rate community notes providing context to posts on the platform.
- Only contributors can write or rate community notes. Instagram does not write, rate or publish community notes
Examples
Terms of Use
Instagram suspending an account for misleading content or misinformation is somewhat dubious.
Instagram accounts have been suspended without definitive reason. From a change.org petition, 65,027 people are concerned about the automated enforcement on the platform. With this automation, accounts were suspended without explanation.
This demonstrates Instagram enforces its terms of use; however, its automation heavy-handed in account suspensions.
Community notes
This post is from a commentator with a screenshot of Blake Lively’s post with a user-generated community note. The note adds context to the hair product with included sources.
Merits
The literature about the effectiveness of Instagram community notes does not exist just yet, because this feature was introduced very recently. However, with our understanding of X/Twitter’s community note feature and the studies surrounding it, we can reasonably expect misinformation to be curbed on posts.
Improvements
It would be disingenuous to say Instagram’s automated enforcement of its terms of use to curb misinformation is effective. Although misleading accounts or content may been flagged and removed through this method, its effect is to the detriment to usability.
An improvement would be to tailor the automation or reinstate human-focused moderation.
X/Twitter
Platform Efforts
Authenticity Policy: X/Twitter has a policy upholding authenticity, combating inauthentic accounts, behaviors and content.
- Inauthentic accounts include automated accounts, false personas and impersonations that aren’t parodies, commentaries or fan accounts
- Inauthentic behaviors include content spam, engagement spam and scams
- Inauthentic content includes “synthetic and manipulated media,” meaning users cannot post manipulated or out-of-context media that may confuse, threaten public safety or cause harm. Users cannot also share malicious URLs.
X/Twitter enforces this policy through various means such as prompting CAPTCHAs or asking for a phone number. X/Twitter can also restrict account reach and limit features.
Community Notes: X/Twitter provides users an avenue to write and rate community notes providing context to posts on the platform
- Users sign up, or opt-in, to write and rate community notes on the platform
- Community notes encourages diverse perspectives to prevent one-sided ratings, requiring agreement between contributors
- Community notes are entirely crowdsourced. X/Twitter does not write, rate or moderate notes.
Examples
Authenticity Policy
A parody entertainment news account @DiscussingFish was suspended in late August this year. The account parodied a popular entertainment news account @DiscussingFilm, using similar a name and profile picture. Although parody accounts are usually protected under X/Twitter’s policy, this content from this account could be considered inauthentic and confusing to casual social media users. However, the definitive reason for the suspension was not revealed, according to the account admin.
Community Notes
An account posted a Super Bowl advertisement for Nerds Gummy Clusters with a person who supposedly looks like Jeffrey Epstein. “THEY ARE MOCKING YOU.”
The person was actually Andy Cohen.
Merits
Although X/Twitter has a policy for authenticity, a study has shown there has been no reduction, or perhaps an increase, in inauthentic accounts.
According to a study from the University of Washington, community notes on X/Twitter demonstrate effectiveness. On average, posts with community notes get a 46% drop on reposts and a 44% drop on likes. Community notes directly challenge engagement and virality of posts.
This feature aligns with the debunking misinformation intervention. Although a drawback of debunking is the amount of time and effort required, community notes being integrated within social media provides less resistance toward providing context.
Improvements
Community notes have demonstrated efficiency in curbing the virality and engagement toward posts; however, there is a clear deficiency in platform moderation. As of 2022, owner Elon Musk fired the outsourced X/Twitter moderation team.
To improve and better enforce authenticity, a moderation team must be re-established to combat inauthentic accounts and content.
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