Tired of political ads on Facebook and Instagram? Here’s how to turn them off
Turn on the television, there’s a political ad. Drive to work, there are political endorsements in lawns. Open up your favorite social media platform, there’s a politician trying to get your vote.
If you’re tired of it, you’re not alone. Facebook announced a way Tuesday night to reduce the number of political ads you see.
Following a few easy steps, you can now get rid of political ads on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s how to do it.
When you see a political ad on your timeline, you can quickly block future ones from appearing.
▪ Click on the “Confirmed Organization” button within the ad.
▪ When the pop-up menu appears, click the button that reads “See fewer ads about this topic.”
▪ On the next pop-up menu, confirm your selection by clicking “See fewer ads about this topic.”
You can also make sure you cut down on political ads on your timeline by going to the app’s preferences menu
▪ From the preferences menu, click on the “Ad Topics” option.
▪ Tap the “Social Issues, Elections or Politics” icon.
▪ Select the ”See fewer ads about this topic” option.
You can also hide political ads on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.
Like Facebook, there are two ways to do it. Here’s how to hide ads directly from the advertisement.
▪ Click the “Paid for” button on the political ad you see.
▪ In the new window, tap the “See fewer ads like this” option.
You can also go to Instagram’s settings menu to get rid of political ads while you scroll through pictures and videos.
▪ Once you’re in the settings menu, select “Ads.”
▪ Tap the “Ad Topics Preferences” option in the next window.
▪ Mark the “Social Issues or Politics” option blue by clicking on the open circle.
▪ Tap the “Save” button on the top right of the screen.
Facebook said it will be rolling out the new option in the United States and hopes to implement the feature in other countries.
It also announced a new way to make political advertising more transparent.
“Starting today, disclaimers will stay on any political or issue ad that is shared so people can see who is behind it and who paid for it,” Facebook’s VP of Product Management and Social Impact Naomi Gleit wrote Tuesday.