From the outset, Instagram appears to be simple enough, but where privacy is concerned, nothing ever really is. I’ve had many pupils over the years pose a simple enough question: can my followers see whom I follow on Instagram? And the answer is: aye, in most cases. It’s not that simple, though.
Let’s break this down and see how much management you really have over your follower list.
When Others View Your Profile, This Is What They See
When someone comes to your Instagram page, they will see your bio, your posts, your followers, and, if you have a public account, your list of the people that you follow. So, if you are wondering can my followers see whom I follow on Instagram, the answer is yes, if you haven’t made your account private.
Even if you are in private mode, your approved followers can always see whom you follow. The only ways to keep a specific person from seeing your list are by blocking them or taking away their status as a follower. I’ve seen creators, and even company pages, misinterpret private mode as covering everything. It does not.
Want to Know Who Can View Your List? Here’s How You Can Find Out
This is easy. Log in to your Instagram, navigate to your profile, and tap on your “Following” list. Next, get a friend or use another account and search for your profile to see if it’s visible to them too.
If you remain perplexed, this tutorial on who you follow describes it in a detailed manner and can help you identify what people are actually seeing when they visit your profile. We always think we’ve got it tightened up tighter than we actually do.
I had one pupil who was unaware that her ex-boyfriend was still able to look through her after list even though she had made her account private. She had the wrong impression that privacy settings included this. It was embarrassing, and I’ve seen the same happen too frequently.
Is It Possible to Conceal Whom You Follow?
This is where people get a little frustrated. Instagram will not enable you to conceal whom you are following. It is not something that you can switch off and make that list non-existent. It is just not how the platform was built.
But if it really is getting on your nerves, there are solutions in the meantime. You can switch to a private account, which I’ve suggested previously. That does exclude nobody, but it does restrict the audience to people that you’ve screened.
The other choice is blocking specific users. When you block someone, he or she cannot see anything, your posts, your followers, or whom you are following. But that’s a rather extreme measure and may not always be the best recourse.
Why Do People Want to Keep It a Secret Anyway?
This is always a contentious argument in workshops. Some people are naturally private. Others just don’t want their network to view their hobby or what they are networking. There are then the influencers or business account owners for whom there also exists a brand consideration.
I’ve had clients who’ve had personal growth pages yet also follow a massive number of meme accounts. They don’t particularly wish for their followers or their future potential sponsors to know that. It isn’t shame, it’s control. And that makes sense.
How to Truly Influence What Other People See
If you really want to have greater control over this, your best choice is to set your profile private. Here’s how:
- Open Instagram and go to your profile
- Touch the three lines on the top right corner
- Go to Settings and Privacy
- Under Account Privacy, activate Private account
That will conceal your posts and following list from everybody else but approved followers. But again, anyone can see whom you follow unless you block them individually.
There is this kind of rumor going around that if you privatize your profile, it will erase everything. It does not. It really just establishes a barrier,who is in that circle can still see the stuff.
What Occurs When You Block Someone?
Blocking a person on Instagram basically takes you away from their end of the app. They cannot find you by search, see your followers or see whom you follow. It is the one absolute means of shutting off access.
Blocking is not always the easiest course of action. I’ve had to block very few people, which numbers in a very small quantity, but in every situation, it immediately solved a very specific issue. If you are merely wanting to shoe away attention surrounding you every moment, blocking might be the path of least resistance.
And if you change your mind later, it’s easy to unblock as well.
Can You Still View Who Someone Else Is Following?
Yes, and it is reciprocal. If somebody has a public profile, you can click on theirs and click on their “Following” tab without any problem. If their profile is private and you follow them, you’ll get to see whom they follow as well.
If you are not following them, that list is restricted. Other people are obsessed with these lists, trying to figure out whom someone is speaking to or following lately. Instagram doesn’t show accounts in chronological order anymore, though, so that’s not a method that’s going to advance you very far.
FAQs
Can someone see if I start following a new person on Instagram?
No, Instagram doesn’t send out notifications when you follow someone. But if your following list is visible, they can scroll through and spot new additions manually.
Why is the order of my following list different for different people?
Instagram personalizes list orders based on mutual connections, recent interactions, and engagement. So, the list might look different depending on who’s looking.
Can business accounts hide their following list?
No, the same rules apply. Whether it’s a personal or business account, Instagram doesn’t let you hide who you follow from others, unless you switch to private or block specific users.
