<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/5cee98f3-7098-4cbc-a620-57da858ca894/c942e804-e4f5-4e00-911b-a3114b39bccd/Instagram_icon.png.webp" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/5cee98f3-7098-4cbc-a620-57da858ca894/c942e804-e4f5-4e00-911b-a3114b39bccd/Instagram_icon.png.webp" width="40px" /> there is no day off for a troll on instagram — here are a few tips to keep the comments on your instagram posts a more positive place to be

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Tips to filter out hate / trolls:

  1. Filter out key words from your comments
    1. Click on settings + scroll to “How others can interact with you” + Click “Hidden Words” + Click “manage custom words and phrases”
      1. Then add each word to the top bubble
      • Words to filter related to reproductive justice
      • Words to filter related to political content/ bot comments
  2. Send the post to fellow creators/friends/family
    1. When you post a video covering a “controversial” topic, send the post to fellow creators, friends, and/or family to flood the comments with positivity
    2. You could also share the post on your story and ask your audience to leave positive comments in order to push the content to the positive side of the algorithm
  3. Timeliness + Authenticity
    1. We recommend responding and reacting to comments that are favorable or in good faith to ensure that that the first few comments at the top of your video are positive in a timely manner. This should help to draw attention to these comments, instead of hateful comments from bots.
    2. Encourage genuine conversations in your comments. The top comments for Instagram and TikTok are a blend of the comments with the most likes AND the most replies, so channeling that conversation is important.
  4. Do not engage
    1. Do not engage with hateful comments/users on your post — this will just give the bigots further ammunition to keep going
  5. Hide specific comments
    1. If you see a comment you want hidden on the post, select “hide” underneath the comment
    2. This will move those comments to the bottom of the post under “hidden comments”
  6. Use “Algorithm Friendly” words
    1. We’ve compiled a non exhaustive list of ways you can use “algorithm friendly” words here
    2. You can edit the way you talk + the words in the closed captioning to ‘hide’ the words from being detected by the algorithm
  7. Edit the closed captioning
    1. Replace ‘controversial’ words in the closed captioning with different punctuation and/or replacing them with related words that likely will not be flagged
  8. Last Resort: Turn off comments
    1. Click on the three dots at the top right corner of the post + click “Turn off commenting”
    2. While this may lower total engagement on the post, trolls will not have the opportunity to change the conversation of the video in the comments

“If I know that people will comment aggressive things on my Instagram post, why should I even post there?”

Although Instagram comments can go way too far, there are still several benefits to posting progressive issues on the platform:

  1. Instagram audiences are different than TikTok audiences
    1. It’s important to post on both platforms because when you post on different platforms, you are reaching different audiences —> expanding your overall reach and impact
  2. The algorithm works differently on Instagram vs TikTok
    1. Many people interact with different content on Instagram vs TikTok. Because of this, it’s important to post the content on multiple social media platforms to make sure you are reaching users where they typically consume similar content
  3. We can’t let the bigots win — we have to maintain a progressive presence on Meta platforms
    1. If we stop having conversations about progressive issues online, misinformation and hate speech will increase. It’s important that we counteract the xenophobic actions of others by educating users on the reality of how these topics work & affect people on a daily basis.
  4. There is a chance with any political post on any platform that the post may reach audiences that vehemently disagree. We still believe its important to make content on all platforms to reach as many people as possible

Things to Keep in Mind About Bots

  1. Use of ChatGPT or other AI LLMs: Bot commenters on social media often masquerade as real people, using stolen profile pictures and made-up names to appear authentic. LLM’s process information from the video and then generate comments that are relevant. These comments are generated pretty quickly.