Instagram and Threads users will see less of what their parent company, Meta, defines as "political content" in their recommendations and feed suggestions unless they opt into it. Although the change won't affect the content from accounts that someone follows, the "extraordinary move" will still have "far-reaching and significant consequences for the public discourse," said CNN. 

What has Meta done? 
"If you decide to follow accounts that post political content, we don't want to get between you and their posts," Meta said in a blog post. "But we also don't want to proactively recommend political content from accounts you don't follow." 

Why has it done this? 
In 2023, following the January 6 Capitol insurrection in Washington, Meta wanted to "scale back how much political content it showed users," said The Wall Street Journal. It came in the wake of widespread criticism that its platforms spread disinformation and hate speech. In a conversation on Threads with The Verge's Alex Heath last year, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri admitted that although "politics and hard news are important," any "incremental engagement or revenue they might drive is not at all worth the scrutiny, negativity (let's be honest) or integrity risks that come along with them." 

What has the reaction been? 
The definition of political content is "vague," said Time. The move has "quickly raised alarm among many who questioned the scope and rationale in the run-up to a high-stakes election," said CNN. 

Political content was still "dominating" Threads after President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in early March, said TechCrunch. If users have a "real-time platform" where they can "dash off quick reactions as short, text posts, they're likely going to use that platform to talk about whatever the news of the day happens to be." 

Some users believe Meta is "actively muzzling civic action," with "widespread allegations of a particular crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices," said Time. But "on balance, removing politics entirely makes sense," said Social Media Today. Since implementing content recommendations, Facebook and Instagram usage has "increased," with "up to 40%" of the content that users are shown in the app now coming through that route. This suggests people are "responding well to entertainment-based content," while "politics brings more headaches."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week chose Silicon Valley lawyer and entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his running mate in his independent bid for the presidency. Shanahan has no political experience but brings personal wealth and tech-industry connections.

Kennedy, an outspoken anti-vaccine activist, named Shanahan at a campaign event that included "attacks on the pharmaceutical industry and Covid lockdowns," said Reuters. Kennedy, 70, introduced Shanahan, 38, as a "brilliant scientist" and "fierce warrior mom" skeptical of regulated industries. Shanahan said she would be Kennedy's "ally in making our nation healthy again." The first challenge, though, will be invigorating Kennedy's longshot campaign. Will picking Shanahan give him a real shot?

Kennedy's bid isn't serious
RFK Jr.'s "improbable bid for the presidency always looked more like a vanity project than a political campaign," said Chris Brennan at USA Today. Selecting Shanahan as his running mate "only confirmed it." She turned her "political coming-out party" into a commercial for "controversial and contested views" on vaccines. Shanahan shares Kennedy's kooky views and has the "deep pockets" to "pay for his platform, feeding him validation and attention."

Kennedy insisted he would never pick a vice-presidential candidate based on wealth, said Joan Walsh at The Nation. "That's just another in a string of lies Kennedy has told in his long career of shape-shifting and manipulation, culminating in his vain independent run for the presidency." The truth is there's "absolutely no reason to choose Shanahan" other than her money.

Shanahan makes Kennedy a contender
Choosing Shanahan was bound to give Democrats fits, said Greg Orman at RealClearPolitics. Previously, Kennedy "seemed to be drawing support equally across the political spectrum," attracting conservative-leaning voters who dislike former President Donald Trump, left-leaning independents, and some Democrats uneasy about President Joe Biden. But Shanahan, an "ardently pro-choice former Democrat," could "tip the mix of Kennedy supporters" in a way that hurts Biden. 

"Shanahan is by no means a household name," said John Hendrickson at The Atlantic. "Yet she could bolster Kennedy's outsider ticket." She's young enough to "help him appeal to younger voters" as the major-party candidates face questions about their age. "And, of course, she has money." Kennedy still has just a "slim chance of winning," but his "movement's potential to 'spoil' the election remains very real."