Archive — US — techcrunch
Instagram might soon let you remove yourself from someone’s Close Friends list
Instagram is developing a feature allowing users to remove themselves from someone’s Close Friends list, a change aimed at providing more privacy and control. The feature is still in early development and has not yet been publicly tested. Unlike Instagram, Snapchat allows users to opt out of private stories, indicating a growing trend in social media towards user autonomy.
Key points
- Instagram plans to allow users to remove themselves from others' Close Friends lists.
- Currently, users cannot leave these lists since the feature's launch in 2018.
- An internal prototype of the feature was found by a reverse engineer, Alessandro Paluzzi.
- When a user leaves a Close Friends list, they will not see that person's content unless re-added.
- The feature is anticipated to be well-received, contrasting with potential feelings of offense by the person who created the list.
- Existing competition: Snapchat allows similar functionality for private stories.
- Instagram is simultaneously developing other features, including new subscription models offering exclusive access to specific functionalities.
Why it matters
- This development aligns with user demand for greater control over social media interactions, a trend that has been escalating in recent years.
- Similar features in competing platforms like Snapchat indicate market pressure for social media companies to adapt and improve user privacy.
- The introduction of subscriptions for exclusive features reflects a wider trend in social media toward monetization and premium services.
Instagram's forthcoming feature to remove oneself from another's Close Friends list is a significant move towards enhancing user autonomy and privacy on the platform, reflecting broader trends in social media as companies prioritize user control and subscription-based models.