Meta-owned Instagram users in the United States have caused a stir on the internet with an unusual complaint that they are unable to unfollow Donald Trump and JD Vance.
According to CNN, on January 22, 2025, Instagram users, including celebrities like singer Demi Lovato and Gracie Abrams, shared their complaints on social media, stating that the platform was not allowing them to unfollow news about the US President, Vice President, and First Lady Melania Trump.
The “Close To You” singer wrote, “How curious! Had to block them in order to make sure I am nowhere near that,” while the actress from “As The Bell Rings” posted a story that read, “I have unfollowed this guy twice today.”
Other social media users voiced similar frustrations. One user said, “Happening to me over and over again. Super frustrating. I even block after I unfollow, and hours later I’m following again.”
“I checked all day long and I wasn’t following them, then outta nowhere about an hour ago I was following them,” another user wrote.
This incident occurred just two days after the Republican took office for a second term on January 20, 2025.
Following the complaints from users of Mark Zuckerberg’s social media company, Meta issued a statement denying the accusations of forcing users to follow certain personalities.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone wrote on X, “People were not made to automatically follow any of the official Facebook or Instagram accounts for the President, Vice President, or First Lady. This is the same procedure we followed during the last presidential transition.”
Stone further explained that these accounts are managed by the White House, and it would take some time to process follow and unfollow actions as “these accounts change hands.”
However, the incident has raised liberal concerns over Meta, as the company has shifted its policies toward the right in recent weeks.
