Last week I was visiting with a friend about whether our political opinions and/or opinions on controversial issues we feel strongly about belong on our non-political Instagram pages.
The consensus from each of us is that we are torn. We both have very different platforms (hers is geared towards motherhood and her family life + photography, mine is geared toward horses + photography) but we also both feel like we may have an opportunity, given our audiences, to make a difference on issues that are near and dear to our hearts.
While I still don’t know what “the answer is” or if I’m brave enough to openly use my non-political platform to share my opinions, I do think it would be interesting for you to hear what other people think.
Below are the responses I received from my followers when asked for their opinion. The caveat was, I was not (and am not) asking for opinions about me and my page specifically. I asked, in general, what people’s thoughts are regarding posting political/controversial opinions on social media.
I always think be true to you, and you can speak or not about anything. I don’t care much.
If you’re well-informed on the topic – yes!
If you have researched and can back your opinion and are open to a civil conversation, then sure.
I think it best to post strong political or similar comments on those accounts rather than your own IG.
If it’s relative to your theme, fine. I don’t want to see a puppy account advocating for Trump or whatever.
I think it’s okay both ways but personally prefer if you talk about the stuff you find important.
Nope, I don’t think it’s annoying. Unless they CONSTANTLY do it. We all have an opinion.
I love it when people are real and talk about things that really matter to them.
As long as someone is educated enough, I don’t mind if they voice their opinion.
I think as long as they’re not rude everyone should have the right to speak their thoughts.
Most people appreciate genuine people who have some passion!
I just recently addressed a controversial topic and got a very good response.
I think people should stand up and not be afraid to share their beliefs/views. But not attack.
Be polite about it and it’s all cool. Be a jerk/negative/insult the other side and that rubs wrong.
Don’t preach opinions as facts. Get facts from different sources.
I think it’s a personal choice how you use your platform. I choose not to.
I see nothing wrong with it if it’s something that someone is passionate about.
They should say their piece and leave it be. Don’t keep harping on it forever.
If I follow you for cute animals, I don’t want all politics though some is fine and vice versa.
If it’s something you feel strongly about, I say you should talk about it!
I don’t mind unless their statements are just opinions and not fact based. Teach us all something.
Sometimes I find it a turn off but usually only if it gets excessive.
With pet accounts it depends on the issue but with personal accounts, I don’t mind.
I think it depends on the page. I hate it when shops do it. In fact, I won’t buy from them.
I think it’s your social media and you shouldn’t feel like you can’t post something meaningful to you.
I like to keep my Insta feed free of accounts that frequently post about those topics. It’s my only break.
I think it’s ‘your account’, you post/say what you want, but I also appreciate people keeping it neutral.
I think it’s great when people are educational about it.
I think it’s like everything – perfectly fine in moderation.
I think it’s tricky. We all use social media in different ways. To each their own?
Very annoying, but enlightening at the same time. Shows you the *real* person.
Good! Only if they don’t start making their whole IG centered around it or bullying others.
Freedom of speech. We should not be scared to share what we’re passionate about.
I don’t think it’s out of line or annoying for the account owner to use their voice to speak about things that are controversial/important to them. Even if it isn’t something that’s the same as I feel. I respect everyone’s educated opinions. Each person on social media has the right to share. But I think it can change the tone of a page, if that makes sense. I think when something comes up that gives others a chance to argue some people leap at that chance and a lot of ignorance gets brought out in people.
I’m not sure how i Feel about if the account owner is not using their platform. If the owner is doing their part in real life; voting, volunteering, being an advocate, etc. I’m not sure they need to involve social media. I guess I think that way because I think about the potential of opening yourself up to that amount of potential backlash/negativity depending on the topic, I just personally wouldn’t want to deal with that.
I would only hope that if I had some type of audience for whatever reason, that I would not dull down my voice for the sake of offending or caring about what others think, anymore than I do now. If you believe in something or feel compelled to share your views, you should do it the same as you would if you were talking to a cardboard box. Stay true to you, whether you have an audience or not, whatever that looks like.
