Instagram Following Activity Removal

Submission 8,983

Part of a series on Instagram. [View Related Entries]

Overview

Instagram Following Activity Removal refers to the public's response to an update to the social media application Instagram that removed the ability to view the activity of one's followers.

Background

On October 7th, 2019, TechCrunch^[1] reported that "Instagram is removing its Following tab, a feature that became better known as a stalking tool than one to aid with new account discovery, as the company had intended."

Developments

Online Reaction

Many online that appreciated the feature sarcastically lamented its removal. Twitter^[2] user @Daddyissues__ tweeted, "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." The tweet received more than 1,100 likes and 270 retweets in one week (shown below, left).

Others made jokes about the uses of the feature, which many joked was primarily used to stalk others. Twitter^[3] user @king_kuwonu posted a Math Lady meme with the caption "Me trying to figure out what pics my man has been liking since instagram got rid of the following activity tab" (shown below, center).

Throughout the day, others made such jokes (example below, right).

Media Coverage

Several media outlets covered the response, including Business Insider,^[4] Harper's Bazaar,^[5] BuzzFeed,^[6] The Verge,^[7] Hypebeast,^[8] Slate^[9] and more.