Instagram now removes the “Following” tab

Instagram

Instagram is now taking a bold step as it is removing the ‘Following’ tab itself from the ‘Activity’ tab. This was a tool quite popular among those who wanted to stalk their friends' profiles. This feature lets users to see the activity of the people they're following.


This tab has long been notorious for "exposing" unexpected behavior within your social network. The tab made seemingly innocuous social media behavior such as liking photos, making comments, following accounts, public record, tracking activity that occurred either seconds or a few days ago.


Instagram Product Head Vishal Shah did give a heads up about this.

Shah said,

"Today we're removing the 'Following' tab on Instagram, which was created to help people discover new posts and accounts their friends engage with. We're always trying to stay focused and keep Instagram simple, and so we celebrate launches and 'unshipping.

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 'Following' tab was an easy way to grow connections and likes when the app first launched. But, now the tab which allows users to explore content on Instagram, is rarely being used by the user. In fact, many may not even be aware that the tab exists.


The company said,

"We are removing it because only a small number of people use the Following tab regularly. Additionally, we've heard from people that they think the Following tab is a very hidden feature that they don't find to be very useful, especially when compared to a similar feature like Explore."

The main reason behind the removal of the tab feature is not to do with unnerving Instagramers the world around. It has to do with simplicity.


An Instagram spokesperson confirmed that the tab will be removed with an update that will begin rolling out on Monday. From a brand and marketing perspective, it does take away another surface for potential discovery.








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