The inquiry into the privacy of one’s following list on the Instagram platform is a common one. Currently, Instagram does not offer a direct feature that allows users to make the list of accounts they follow private or hidden from their followers or other users of the platform. This means that by default, any user can view the accounts an individual follows by navigating to their profile and accessing the “Following” section. Third-party applications claiming to offer this functionality should be approached with caution, as their use may violate Instagram’s terms of service and compromise account security.
The open nature of the following list contributes to the platform’s social discovery aspect. It allows users to find new accounts to follow based on the recommendations of others, and it facilitates transparency in terms of identifying shared interests. Historically, the visibility of these connections has been considered a core aspect of the platform’s design, fostering a sense of community and shared activity. Changing this functionality would significantly alter the way users interact and discover content on Instagram.