Let’s start with the improved account blocking on Instagram
Any avid Instagram user is familiar with the account-blocking feature. This cuts off any communication between you and another account. One thing that Instagram does is block that user’s account and any future accounts that they could make. With this new update, the company will also block any accounts that person currently owns. So, if someone is bothering you, then they won’t be able to contact you with their burner account either.
Next, we have improved offensive word blocking
In order to keep conversations appropriate, Instagram automatically blocks certain words from being typed in. This includes certain sensitive words, profanity, offensive terms, emojis, etc. This is really helpful, but people can tend to find ways around it. For example, they can intentionally misspell these terms so that they get the idea across while evading Instagram’s watchful eye. For example, someone can substitute the letter “i” for an “!” or the letter “Z” for “2”. With this update, Instagram will add more terms to the library of blocked terms, and this will account for these misspelled words as well. These changes will also help block people from sending you potential scams.
Kindness reminders
At the moment, this feature only applies to public figures and creators. When sending a message to a well-known Instagram creator, you’ll see a little reminder pop up at the bottom of your screen. This reminds you to be kind and supportive toward this creator. It’s a subtle nudge to watch what you say to this person. As we can imagine, Instagram DMs are a hotbed for inappropriate speech sometimes. In the same vein, Instagram is also implementing comment nudges. If you’re replying to a comment that the platform flags as potentially offensive, the app will encourage you to stop, and think about what you’re about to say before you say it. This feature is more widely available. These features strive to make Instagram a safer platform to be on. Sometimes, we just can’t avoid horrible people who want to say horrible things, so these changes are definitely welcome. Along with these changes, Instagram says that there may be even more changes coming down the road.
