Instagram's "Following" Tab Removed

Posted: October 15, 2019

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="448"] Image: Social Media Today[/caption] If Instagram's "Following" tab was something you relied on to see content engagement, there's been a change. The following tab has been removed, and the "Explore" feature will become the primary way users discover new things on the platform. Users will still be able to see how their connections interact with their content, but won't be able to see what other content they're interacting with. Andrew Hutchinson, contributor to Social Media Today, explains how the change might affect you.

Instagram Removes its 'Following' Tab which Highlighted Friend Activity in the App

This may be news to you, or you may have already noticed the change in-app, but this week, as first reported by BuzzFeed News, Instagram has confirmed that it's removing its 'Following' tab in the app, which provided a listing of friend activity, enabling users to see what content their connections had engaged with. As explained by BuzzFeed News: "Instagram launched its “Following” tab as an early feature back in 2011, long before its Explore tab debuted. At the time, Following was the best way to discover new content, since it would show you things your friends were liking. But that’s no longer true now that Explore has established itself as the primary means of discovering new stuff on Instagram." So, in many ways, the 'Following' tab is somewhat obsolete anyway. In addition to this, Instagram says that few people have been using it, and many may not even be aware that the tab exists. Read the entire article, Instagram Removes its 'Following' Tab which Highlighted Friend Activity in the App, on Social Media Today.