Instagram is a pretty popular social media site that millions of people across the world use on a daily basis. The platform has several features to help you connect with other Instagram users. One of the features, “Who You Might Know,” suggests accounts for you to follow based on your connections and interactions on the platform.
While this method of finding new accounts can be helpful, it can potentially raise privacy concerns for some users. This post will explain how this feature works, address any privacy concerns, and show you how to turn it off if you so want.
Why do I see the “Who You Might Know” Notification?
The “Who You Might Know” notifications and suggestions keep appearing frequently when using the Instagram app. These may appear as notifications or suggestions under posts or on your feed. It recommends users and accounts for you to follow based on a number of criteria, including the following:
- Existing Connections: When making their recommendations, Instagram and Facebook take into account the users you already have in your network.
- Recent Interactions: Recent interactions are a list of Instagram accounts with which you have had recent interactions. These may be follows, likes, comments, or DMs.
- Facebook Connections: Accounts that are connected to your Facebook friends or contacts.
- Your Contacts: Accounts from your contact lists that have been synchronized with Facebook or Instagram.
Is the “Who You Might Know” Notification a Privacy Concern?
It’s natural to worry about privacy intrusions, especially since the “Who You Might Know” feature uses public data. Instagram and Facebook interactions are public. Instagram suggests relevant accounts using publicly available data.
These suggestions aim to improve your Instagram experience by recommending profiles based on your relationships and engagements. Instagram uses this data to personalize and engage users.
It’s important to distinguish the “Who You Might Know” feature from other privacy concerns, such as Instagram listening to conversations or tracking public gatherings. These are merely myths that have nothing to back them up.
Instagram balances useful features with user privacy. Disabling the “Who You Might Know” feature won’t stop Instagram from suggesting accounts to follow in other ways, like the Explore area. However, some people might find it annoying that it suggests people who you don’t want to interact with.
Moreover, if someone visits your page, they might be recommended in your “Who You Might Know” list. This is extremely concerning as well as annoying for many Instagram users.
Disable the “Who You Might Know” Feature
If you find the “Who You Might Know” notifications intrusive, distracting, or simply not useful, you can disable them. Please note that this can only be done on the Instagram desktop version. Here’s how:
- Log in to your Instagram account on Instagram.com. You can use the desktop mode on your mobile device if you don’t have access to a PC.
- Click on your profile icon in the top right corner, then click on the gear icon to access your Settings.
- In the Settings menu, click on Notifications.
- From the sidebar, click on Push Notifications.
- Scroll down to “Account Suggestions” and select “OFF” to disable the “Who You Might Know” notifications for your account.
Once you have done that, you will no longer receive notifications about suggested accounts. However, Instagram may still make suggestions for accounts to follow within the app.
Final Words
The “Who You Might Know” feature on Instagram can be annoying and creepy. Some users even have privacy concerns when it comes to this feature. If you prefer to disable these notifications, you can do so through the Instagram desktop settings.
Remember that these suggestions are meant to enhance your Instagram experience. However, unfortunately, disabling notifications will not prevent Instagram from making account suggestions. We hope that this article has resolved all your queries. If you still have any questions, let us know in the comments section below.
