Instagram has removed the “Following” tab – meaning it’s time to put your stalker-ish tendencies to bed and stop lurking to get your feelings hurt.
First introduced in 2011, the feature allows users to keep track of the activity of who they’re following – from posts they like to comments they write and who they follow, there was hardly any privacy.
Now, we could say that it was the OG place for users to discover new content and people to follow. However, ever since the ‘Explore page’ came about, the following tab has been a rather ‘useful’ tool for creeping and stalking instead.
Now, if Instagram removed likes and introduced anti-bullying features to improve the well-being of users, then why exactly did they remove the following tab?
As it turns out, the decision to remove the feature came down to making the app more simplistic and the fact that people weren’t using it that frequently.
Vishal Shah, Instagram’s head of product, told Buzzfeed News:
“People didn’t always know that their activity is surfacing. So you have a case where it’s not serving the use case you built it for, but it’s also causing people to be surprised when their activity is showing up.”
The removal has ultimately put an end to the stalking and creeping but has also prevented users from finding new accounts to follow; which, as one would expect, caused Twitter users to express how they felt.
so instagram really did take away the following activity tab,, how tf am i gonna stalk now ?? pic.twitter.com/Rrvp00Gv3G
— *₊˚. (@ghostinamani) October 8, 2019
did instagram really take away its following activity tab, how the FUCK am I suppose to know shit now
— Rachel (@rachhhhc3) October 8, 2019
Today is a really sad day for all us ladies because the stalker tab, I mean following tab has been removed on Instagram and I can no longer see what my man who’s not really my man is liking on there… now I have no reason to start random fights!?! Wow y’all played me Instagram.
— Violet Benson (@Daddyissues__) October 8, 2019
#instagram sucks. Useless and stupid changes no one asked for!!! I want my following activity back!! For the record, I never stalked anyone, I just got ideas and inspiration from that. Thanks for taking it away from us. pic.twitter.com/Hx0YYwZBFX
— arabella (@homewardove) October 8, 2019
RIP Following tab (2011-2019), nothing lasts forever and this is 100% for the best. We may be angry at Instagram right now but our mental health will be praising them.
Instagram’s Dark Mode
Following the removal of the “Following” tab, Instagram has officially hopped onto the dark mode train and what can I say? It looks good.
Yes, you read right, the social media platform has finally introduced a Dark Mode version that makes late-night scrolling a little easier on the eyes, prolongs battery life and fulfills your aesthetic needs.
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, took to Twitter to announce the new feat.
Starting today, you can use Instagram in dark mode on iOS 13 or Android 10. Turn dark mode on your phone to try it out. ?
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) October 8, 2019
Dark mode is currently only available to Instagram users with iOS 13 or Android 10.
To activate dark mode, follow the guides below:
iOS 13 users
Go to Settings, then Display and Brightness and select Dark.
- You can also turn on automatic mode in which your iPhone will change to dark mode at night and go back to light mode during the day.
Android 10 users
Go to Settings, then Display, then Advanced and then select Dark from the Device theme menu.
What do you think of Instagram’s latest updates? Let us know in the comments down below!
