What is Instagram’s Adam Mosseri really saying in his year-end memo?
"Instagram no longer believes it can beat AI by making more or better content. It wants to be the referee, to decide what is real and what is not, and to build systems that can do it at scale."
[Om Malik]
Om has some smart observations about Instagram’s messaging at the end of a year that was dominated by AI-generated content:
“AI is flooding the system, and feeds are filling with fakes. Visual cues are no longer reliable. Platforms will verify identities, trace media provenance, and rank by credibility and originality, not just engagement.
It starts by verifying who is behind an account, embedding provenance in media, and rewarding trust signals. Over time, Meta may tighten control and aim to be an identity broker for everyone. Instagrams want you to be prepared for this new era of tighter control over identity, authenticity, and content provenance.“
This isn’t just about AI and advisers preferring to be associated with real content: we’re starting to see age verification laws take hold in various jurisdictions, and there are likely more to come. By preparing users for more identity verification and tying it up with a “this way we know who’s real” bow, they’re able to get ahead of these rules. And being the primary identity broker in the social space during this new era will provide some business security.
I don’t think a move to verified identities is good. Real names don’t improve online community health, and attaching identities to the things people post will have a chilling effect on activists and people from vulnerable communities in particular. It’s also not true that social media is bad for younger teenagers, contrary to popular perception of the research. It’s a trend that leads to more surveillance and less open speech. But if it’s going to happen, Meta, I’m sure, will be delighted to turn it into a moat and a profit center if it can.
[Link]
