Instagram Users Face Challenges Unfollowing US Leaders

In Washington, DC, social media users, including celebrities like Demi Lovato and Gracie Abrams, have expressed frustration over difficulties in unfollowing US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump on Instagram. They claim that Meta, the company behind Instagram, is preventing them from unfollowing these accounts.

Celebrity Reactions

Gracie Abrams, a singer and songwriter, shared on her Instagram story that she had to unfollow the "@vp" and "@potus" accounts multiple times as Meta kept refollowing them. She eventually blocked the accounts to avoid them. Demi Lovato also reported having to unfollow the President twice in one day.

Meta's Response

Meta clarified that a technical issue affected the hashtag search feature, not just left-wing hashtags. They denied forcing users to follow the accounts, explaining that the accounts change with each administration. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone stated that delays in follow and unfollow requests were due to the transition process.

Policy Changes and Criticism

The incident has fueled liberal skepticism of Meta, which has recently shifted its policies to the right. The company appointed a Republican to head its policy division and added Trump ally Dana White to its board. Meta also ended its third-party fact-checking programs and revised its hateful conduct policies. CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained these changes on Joe Rogan's podcast, stating they were planned to address user trust issues.