Instagram Update Makes it Way Harder to Stalk Your Ex
Instagram brings a much-needed privacy hammer to proceedings.| Source: sergey causelove/Shutterstock.com
The latest Instagram update removes the activity tab from the app. You can no longer see when the accounts you follow like and/or comment on a photo or follow another account.
Privacy rules the day
People care about their digital privacy now more than ever. This latest move by Instagram means that users of the platform will find it harder to call out their friends for liking certain pictures and following certain accounts. Recently broken up couples will no longer be able to pull their hair out about who their ex has started following,
Instagram users can now rest easy and like photos and follow accounts they may have previously been hesitant to do for fear of judgment. Now you can only discover who your friends are following if you constantly check it through their profile, which is terribly time-consuming.
The activity tab has been an integral part of Instagram since 2011. In the time since then, many people have fallen victim to observant followers seeing their every move on the app.
No longer can people become exasperated at how many of their followers like topless post after topless post of Instagram models. Partners will have to find new ways to check up on their other half’s online activity.
A lot of app users did not even realize that the “activity” section was even a feature. It was pretty well hidden. However, in most friend groups there was a hawk-eyed member seemingly checking this section avidly around the clock to try and catch someone else out.
Finding new content
To find new content after this Instagram update removes the activity tab is through the “Discovery” section. This is algorithmically tailored to each user depending on the type of content they regularly like and follow.
The team at Instagram says that the main reason for getting rid of the “activity” tab is due to simplicity. They want to have a more minimalist design and this is a step toward achieving that goal.
Will it be missed?
It is likely that only a very small percentage of people will miss this section. The majority of users will sleep easier at night knowing that their potentially embarrassing behavior on Instagram is no longer laid bare to the world.
