SOCIAL NETWORKS: Instagram is removing the “Subscribers” page which allows a user to follow the smallest actions of his friends
On the tab representing a heart, we find all the notifications related to our account; likes, comments, new subscribers. But this page also offers to follow the news of our subscribers in another way. Indeed, in the top left, by selecting “Subscribers”, we can follow all the interactions of our loved ones. Which publications they liked, commented on, but also the accounts to which they subscribed. A wealth of information that can obviously have a perverse effect and allow some users to spy on their friends.
When Instagram was first introduced in 2011, Instagram wanted to help its users discover new content through their friends and loved ones. If this or that friend liked a picture, a user was likely to like it too.
But the goal has not been reached. Users prefer to use this page to keep an eye on what their loved ones are doing or simply do not use it. Indeed, the page “Subscribers” is relatively unknown to the general public.
An unpopular feature
The lack of interest and excesses of this page have pushed Instagram to question its existence. That’s why the section will soon disappear through an upcoming update, as confirmed by Instagram at BuzzFeed News .
“People did not always realize that their online business was displayed that way. The feature was not necessarily used for what it had to be, while displaying the activity of people who did not really expect it, “said Vishal Shah, Product Manager at Instagram, at BuzzFeed News. A statement that confirms that the feature was not necessarily very popular. It was used more to spy on relatives than to discover new content.
Moreover, this page could provoke delicate situations if a spouse liked a publication that his or her partner did not necessarily approve.
