Instagram has decided to take the initiative of asking some users in the United States about their race and ethnicity, and in this way, study how different groups experience the platform.
As Instagram expresses , the information obtained from the surveys, in addition to allowing them to better understand the experiences that different communities have within the platform, will also allow them to determine how their technologies may affect different groups and if there are changes that can be made to promote equity.
How will Instagram polls on race and ethnicity work?
A randomly selected variety of people will get a popup within Instagram. This window will take you to the survey organized by YouGov, where you will be asked about your ethnicity and race.
However, users can make the decision to simply opt out if they wish. Instagram also explained that users’ responses to these surveys will not affect their experience on the platform.
What will Instagram do with the information obtained from the surveys?
Once the information from the surveys is obtained, YouGov will collect all these responses individually and anonymously. Then, they will be stored in a group of research institutions.
These institutions include: Texas Southern University, University of Central Florida, Northeastern University and Oasis Labs.
Instagram explained that individual responses will not be linked to user accounts and that the company will only obtain aggregated data from partner institutions. In addition, they also let it be known that this information will not be used for advertising purposes.
It should be noted that Instagram has been going through different changes on the platform , such as, for example, making purchases from direct messages (DMs), the Notes function, among other things. And now add this.
It only remains to wait to find out what changes Instagram will make based on the results of these surveys. And you, do you think this is a good initiative by Instagram?
