Instagram used to be where people escaped the news. The Black Lives Matter protests changed that.

For most people, Instagram has long been the social media platform where they escape from the real world — and politics — to share a curated highlight reel of their lives. But recently, that’s changed. It’s become an increasingly political platform amid Black Lives Matter protests across the country. In fact, Instagram has become the platform for widespread conversations in the United States about racism and how to combat it.

“I think there is a shift where everyone feels guilty for not posting anything black,” said Thaddeus Coates, a Black...