Filtering the Feed

By: Gabrielle Gunawan

Edited by: Yohana Stefani Mbangga

In recent years, Instagram has evolved into a major tool for promoting political activism and crucial matters. However, the effectiveness of their activism is a topic to debate. Performative activism involves individuals promoting social or political messages primarily (hashtag, shared posts, and online petitions) to gain proactively outcomes such as: followers, or a positive image, rather than out of a genuine commitment to a cause.

Instagram's popularity and informal nature make it an effective platform for spreading awareness about political issues, particularly among younger demographics who may not engage with traditional news sources. Political stories on Instagram can quickly disseminate information and rally support for various causes. The visual and succinct nature of these stories captures attention and encourages sharing, potentially reaching a broad audience. However, the informality of these stories raises questions about their depth and accuracy. Can a platform designed for quick consumption foster substantial political engagement?

One critical issue with political Instagram stories is their tendency to become mere trends rather than actual activism. While they can raise awareness quickly, the fleeting nature of social media trends means that issues can be overshadowed by the next viral topic. With the simple click of a button, people can share such Instagram stories just to ‘fit in’ with the trend, without actually caring about the content. This trendiness often results in superficial engagement rather than deep, sustained interest in important issues.

Another highly controversial issue is the use of AI filters. In the case of the ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ image, it is generated by artificial intelligence and, while visually appealing, it does not convey any information about the situation in Rafah. It also raises concerns about the presentation of unrealistic and manipulated content. AI can easily be misleading, as it is created according to a prompt, and hence can introduce biases, intentionally or unintentionally promoting specific political agendas. This act damages the trustworthiness of the information being disseminated, potentially swaying public opinion based on misleading visuals.

Moreover, the use of AI in creating political art and graphics has also raised quite a stir, particularly in the art community. As AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, traditional artists may find it increasingly difficult to compete, leading to job losses and a devaluation of human creativity. Can artificial intelligence, a technology that limits human creativity, genuinely be used to raise awareness about issues that also diminish human lives?


Well, that’s all for now. Rather than just pointing out the flaws in political Instagram stories, let's explore a potential resolution. One way to address political Instagram stories is to actually post meaningful information in the form of paragraphs that fully discuss the importance of addressing such issues. That way it actually has weight behind the Instagram story and isn’t undermined by a simple graphic or a screenshot. It also sends the message across better, and although some may argue that people would be more likely to skip the story due to the low-attention spans of the current generations, it will be helpful for those who actually take the time into reading it. Either way, graphics made by AI do not actually give any information and forces viewers to have to search for more, so providing information directly in the form of paragraphs or even infographics is definitely better than a simple AI art. 

In conclusion, political Instagram stories can generate interest and increase awareness about crucial social and geopolitical issues. However, their effectiveness in raising awareness is limited by the use of AI filters that can lead to potential biases, and the tendency to prioritise trendiness over substance or in other words, performative activism. To have a significant impact, it might be more effective to communicate through infographics or text rather than using uninformative graphics.