Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms out there. It has amassed a large number of users so if you don’t have Instagram in this day and age, you’re classed as odd.
With Instagram being as popular as it is, there are some people out there who have never used it before. One popular question people have when joining Instagram is what does following and followers mean.
Instagram is a site made for you and your friends. You can also have celebrities on there. The way you can add people on there is by following them.
Once you follow them you should expect a follow back if they’re a close friend. If it is a celebrity then I wouldn’t expect a follow back anytime soon.
If you don’t follow anyone, you will never be able to see what they post on your timeline. The only way you can know what your friends are getting up to is by following them on Instagram.
Today I’m going to be taking a deep dive into what following someone means on Instagram and what it means when you get a follow.
What Does Following Mean on Instagram
I’m going to start with what the word following means on Instagram. We can also refer to this as a follow. To follow someone means to add them.
When you are following someone it will come up on your followings list on Instagram. You will now be able to see their profile when you click on the following section on your profile.
To follow someone can mean that you’re are interested in them or it can just mean you guys are friends. You typically follow people based on if you like what they post or if you just like them as a person.
If they don’t follow you back or if you end up not liking what they post you can always unfollow them. I will be getting into what it means to unfollow someone later on.
If someone has a private account, you can’t just follow them right away. You have to request to do this and you will have to wait for them to accept you.
This is because this Instagram user has chosen to make their account private. This typically means that they don’t want random people to see what they post.
When an account is private you are also unable to see their following and followers list too. This is also kept private until they accept your request.
What Does Followers Mean on Instagram
Now I’m going to explain what followers mean on Instagram. Followers are people who decide to follow you on Instagram. You can see when someone wants to follow you as you will get a notification in the notifications tab.
Followers can be your friends but can also be random people who are interested in what you post. Followers are like your fans but if you decide to follow them back then you guys are like equals.
If you are new to Instagram, I would recommend you follow people back, to begin with so you can make more friends and see what you like and dislike.
If you have switched your account to private which can be done in settings then you will have to accept new followers whenever they decide to follow you.
On Instagram, it is usually cooler to have more followers than people you are following.
You will be seen as cooler amongst your friends and new people might decide to follow you as they will be wondering why other people are interested in following you.
When someone follows you you don’t have to follow them back. You only decide this based on if you like their account back or if you know them. It can be seen as rude but remember it is your account and you can do what you like with it.
The Difference between Following and Followers on Instagram
The main difference between following someone and your followers is that you are you will be able to follow someone whenever you see their profile.
Whereas someone will be able to follow you when they see your profile. This makes them a new follower from your point of view. But from their point of view, they are just following you.
Recently, people don’t want to be following many accounts as it isn’t as socially acceptable as it used to be. Many users like to keep their following list small as it keeps the quality of their timeline up.
If you follow too many people then you will become less and less interested in the posts on your timeline. If you want to keep a high-quality time, I would suggest that you only follow your friends and maybe some celebrities you like.
You can also follow some meme pages but I would keep this at a minimum as they all usually post the same things as each other.
When someone follows you on Instagram they are interested in getting to know you. this can be quite flattering especially if they like all of your posts.
Conclusion
Instagram is a great social media app for getting to know new people. The more you interact with other accounts the more popular you will become but it can be more complicated than this.
Following and followers are just an indication of who you’re interested in and who’s interested in you. However, this is mostly on a friendship basis and not a romantic level.
You can show more interest in people by liking all of their posts. If you want to start an Instagram brand for example then this is when having a lot of followers becomes important.
If you post content that is more interesting like funny videos then you will gain more followers. If you meet someone for the first time then ask for their Instagram so you can follow them.
The more you follow people, the better the algorithm will get at suggesting new accounts to follow. This will make your experience better as you will be recommended an account you will most likely like based on what you have followed before.
