Instagram’s testing a new way to provide more transparency on Reels content, by listing the location of the profile that created the clip on the video itself.
As you can see in this example, shared by Salman Memon, Instagram is now displaying location information on some clips.
The attached explanation reads:
“Instagram is providing this information because, in rare cases, accounts may be misleading people about where they’re based.”
The ‘Learn more’ CTA then takes you through to Instagram’s false information page, which outlines all of the measures that it’s implementing to combat misinformation in the app.
It could be a good way to dispel foreign influence operations, or at the least, make users aware of how groups outside of a certain region may be looking to sway opinion on certain subjects. By listing the location up front, it adds an extra level of important context, which could also help users highlight potential misinformation, and flag it to IG.
It’s also fairly simple and unintrusive – it looks like an easy way to highlight this element, which could play a key role in how a viewer interprets the information being presented.
Instagram has added a range of misinformation-combating elements in recent years, including false information labels, removal of questionable posts from discovery, and proactive detection via AI.
Indeed, according to Meta’s most recent Coordinated inauthentic Behavior update, the company has now taken down over 200 global networks, from 68 countries, as it continues to put the squeeze on those looking to use its platforms to manipulate users.
This is another element in that push, and as noted, it could be a more significant one than it may initially seem.
