Social networking platforms, such as Instagram are essentially a common part of our lives in the digital age. They not only connect us with people we are close with, but also with strangers who have the same interests as us. One of the fundamental features of Instagram is the ability to follow other users to see their posts in your feed.
However, many users have reported a perplexing issue: Instagram sometimes shows that they are following people they never intended to follow. This phenomenon raises questions about privacy, security, and the inner workings of Instagram’s algorithms.
In this article, we will explore why Instagram might display that you are following people you never did and what you can do to address this issue. Let’s get started!
Why Does My Instagram Show I Am Following People That I Never Did?
If you’ve ever opened your Instagram account to find that you’re following people you never did, you’re not alone. This is a common problem that can happen for a variety of reasons.
1. Inactive Accounts and Ghost Followers
One common reason behind Instagram’s mysterious “following” count is inactive accounts and ghost followers. Ghost followers are accounts that used to be active but have since been not in use by their creators.
These accounts may appear to be following you, but they are no longer engaged with the platform. Instagram often takes some time to detect and remove these inactive accounts from your followers’ list. This results in you seeing a discrepancy between your actual followers and the number displayed on your profile.
To address this issue, Instagram regularly conducts clean-up operations to remove inactive accounts and bots. However, it might take some time before these accounts are entirely purged from your followers’ list. In the meantime, there’s not much you can do, but rest assured that Instagram is working to maintain the integrity of its user base.
2. Glitches and Technical Issues
Like any complex software, Instagram is susceptible to glitches and technical issues. Sometimes, these glitches can lead to inaccuracies in your followers’ list. For instance, you might follow someone, but due to a bug in the system, it doesn’t register correctly, making it appear as though you haven’t followed them.
If you suspect that a technical issue is causing the problem, you can try the following steps:
Log out and log back in: Sometimes, simply logging out of your Instagram account and then logging back in can resolve minor glitches.
Update the app: Ensure that you are using the latest version of the Instagram app. Developers often release updates to fix bugs and improve performance.
Clear cache and data: On mobile devices, you can clear the cache and data of the Instagram app in your device’s settings. This can help resolve issues related to cached data.
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