People say they’re quitting Instagram over new feature that’s bad for anyone who loves lurking

People are vowing to quit Instagram over a new feature on the app. The update is going to impact those who love to lurk on other people’s profiles the most, which I think we’ll all admit, we’re all guilty of. 

As part of Instagram Plus, the app has launched a whole bunch of new features. The monthly subscription will set you back £2.98 ($3.99) and has the aim of being able to “help you express yourself, connect deeper with friends, and customise your experience in new ways.”

New features under the subscription include: Your story is given priority to friends, extending time your story is displayed to 48 hours, the ability to see how many times stories were viewed, being able preview a story, and check if a specific person has viewed your story. 

via Instagram

The new Story Rewatch Count feature shows you how many times your story was replayed, while the Search Viewer Sheet allows you to quickly check if a specific person saw your post. Story Preview lets you peek at someone’s story without appearing on their viewer list. Everything is very sneaky. 

Now, there’s one thing rubbing people up the wrong way. How everything seems to be giving into people’s lust for lurking. Basically, if you want to give into obsessive tendencies, it will cost you. 

“If what you love is the ability to more conveniently keep tabs on crushes or enemies—by which I mean torture yourself—then Instagram nailed it,” one Reddit user said. The post added: “Instagram Plus is a new low. Drive yourself crazy for the low price of $3.99 a month.”

The poster claimed they had spoken to a number of experts and people about the subscription, who claimed the features would “increase anxiety, stalking behaviours, and time on social media”.

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@suhaadada

Instagram is exploiting people’s addiction to digital communication signals like story views to make a few bucks on their Instagram plus subscription. Wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. It’s made me see people I know in real life in a totally different light and I wish I could go back to a time before I tried it!! #tech #instagram #meta #facebook #instagramstories

♬ original sound – suhaadada

Further to this, a TikToker by the username @suhaadada said she did a “social experiment” to test Instagram Plus, and said it made her “ready to never use Instagram again.” She said the new data you’re given by Instagram will only negatively impact mental health.

While trying the new subscription, she said she was able to watch the timestamps beside the names on her viewer list. She claimed some names jumped back to the top with updated times, which she took as a sign those people had viewed her story again.

“Wouldn’t recommend,” she added. “It made me see people I know in real life in a completely different light and I wish I could go back to a time before I tried it.”

After these views have gone viral, Meta has spoken out. “Instagram Plus does not give subscribers more information about other people’s viewing habits,” the Meta representative said. The company said it designed the paid features to give users more “connection, expression, and control.”

For more, like The Tab on Facebook. Featured image via Instagram and TikTok.