meta-users-complain-about-issues-unfollowing-trump-vance

Instagram users across the United States, including celebrities like Demi Lovato and Gracie Abrams, have voiced frustration over difficulties unfollowing President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump.

 

Many claim that Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has been preventing them from severing connections with the official accounts of the new administration, as per the reports.

 

Gracie Abrams, a singer-songwriter, shared her experience on Instagram, stating she had to unfollow the official “@vp” and “@potus” accounts multiple times.

 

According to Abrams, the platform repeatedly refollowed the accounts against her wishes. She eventually resorted to blocking them to ensure they would not reappear on her feed. “How curious!” Abrams remarked in her story, describing her frustration with the issue.

 

Demi Lovato echoed similar sentiments. She revealed on Instagram that she had to unfollow President Trump twice in a single day. “I have unfollowed this guy twice today,” she shared.

 

Adding to the complaints, users also pointed out that the hashtag #Democrat appeared to be blocked on Instagram. This led to concerns over potential bias on the platform.

 

Meta addressed the issue, explaining that it was caused by a technical glitch affecting the hashtag search feature across various topics, not just those related to left-wing content.

 

Meta denied allegations of automatically forcing users to follow the accounts of the President, Vice President, or First Lady. The company clarified that during transitions of power, these official accounts are updated to reflect the incoming administration.

 

Andy Stone, a Meta spokesperson, explained that delays in processing follow or unfollow requests were a result of this transition process. “This is standard procedure during a presidential transition,” Stone said in a statement shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where he addressed these changes, saying they had been planned for some time.

 

He acknowledged that overly stringent content moderation in the past had eroded user trust. Zuckerberg’s presence at Trump’s inauguration and other actions have further fuelled scepticism.