On yesterday’s episode of ‘what’s the Internet pissed off about today’, Instagram users were up in arms about the loss of the app’s ‘following activity’ tab. With f**kboys breathing a sigh of relief and suspicious ladies gathering in the thousands to brainstorm new ways to keep tabs on their man, we think it’s time to take a deep dive into this remarkable loss, to find out if it really is for the greater good.
Me trying to figure out what pics my man has been liking because instagram got rid of the following activity tab pic.twitter.com/a1ZatFZPXe
— emma?? (@king_kuwonu) October 8, 2019
Originally introduced by Instagram so users could find new accounts to enjoy, the following tab had innocent beginnings. slowly evolving into an insta-stalkers playground, it started being used by the masses to keep an eye on what their friends, family and partners were up to. Whether that’s liking ~certain~ images or following people they shouldn’t be, ladies and gentlemen alike started finding themselves in hot water thanks to this notorious little feature.
As the tab stared picking up momentum and getting a credibility for doing much more harm than good, Instagram began to re-think how they could introduce new content and profiles to their users without creating turmoil in their private lives. Enter: the explore page. With one quick click of the magnifier glass icon, users can now browse a page of completely bespoke content that’s catered to their needs. based on messages they’ve previously engaged with, users can scroll through the explore page to their heart’s content. THIS is what Instagram claims has rendered the following tab obsolete.
A step in the best direction for the brand’s mission to help user’s mental health, the deletion of the tab follows the news that it’s planning to ditch publicly viewable likes. currently being trialled in Australia to see if a genuine difference is made, the reaction to the news was so dramatic it saw influencers and YouTubers in floods of tears. possibly a prime example of why the app wants to do much more to safeguard the mental health of its users, the feedback has been a mixed bag.
FINAL THOUGHTS: If the loss of Snapchat’s best friends feature is anything to go by, people will get over this faster than you can say “drama queen”. In a world where privacy is sparse and the FBI are spying on us through our webcams (you know it’s true), this little glimmer of secrecy Instagram is providing us ought to be grabbed with both hands, locked away and protected whatsoever cost. What do you think?