Do you miss this feature that Instagram removed four years ago?
Interestingly enough, the reason it was removed is that Instagram found that not many users clicked on it.
If we're really honest with ourselves, we can admit that when consuming social media, there is that part of us that wants to see what others are doing.
We guess that's the overlying concept of what social media is, engaging in trends that are created by other people who use the app.
So, naturally when it comes to clicking on notifications, we are interested to see what others are getting up to, and the algorithms are programmed in that exact manner.
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Because anyone that we have engaged with and that doesn't necessarily mean liked or commented, we are notified of their content when they post anything new.
Four years ago, a feature on Instagram was removed from the app. The Following tab, which allowed users to see what other users were doing on the app was removed.
The reason behind the removal was "for the sake of simplicity".
So, the heart icon used to house any activity for both 'You' and your 'Following' but was removed in 2019.
"According to Instagram’s head of product Vishal Shah, the tab was removed for the sake of simplicity, and to cut down on a feature that most people didn’t know existed." (The Verge)
Some are of the view that perhaps the removal was a good thing because seeing your friend's interaction would anger some who were waiting for a response.
We're not sure how we feel about it, because now we have stories and you can see if someone viewed your story and didn't react...So, essentially isn't that the same thing?
Image Courtesy of Instagram