Who You Might Know is on Instagram?- What and How it Works
If you are a user of Instagram, you have surely received a notification of “who you might know” on Instagram every once in a while. Now, it’s pretty simple what that means. But how does Instagram know who you might know? That’s a fairly good question.
Who You Might Know Is on Instagram Meaning?
Instagram shows you a list of people who you might know to allow you to connect with your contacts easily. If you see a person you know and would like to follow them from the list of “suggested for you”, it can be done with a simple click.
How Does Instagram Know Who You Might Know?
Instagram uses different methods to collect user data to improve user experience. Here are the following ways Instagram collects your data to suggest people you may know:
- People on your contact list: Instagram uses the numbers that you have saved in your phonebook to suggest connections. This means if Instagram suggested someone you may know from your phonebook, it most likely suggested your account to them as well.
- Your Facebook Connections: Instagram uses information from your Facebook connections to suggest the people you may know on Instagram.
- Profile Information: If someone created a second account with the same information as your first account, Instagram would likely show their second account to you as well.
- Your Account Activity: Instagram traces your account activity such as your search history, likes, comments, shares, and location to suggest accounts with similar interests.
How to Turn Off Instagram’s People You Might Know Feature?
Now, if you wish to remain private and avoid certain “people you might know” reaching you, there are some steps you can take to ensure extra privacy.
1-Turn off the Similar Account Feature
- Use your laptop/PC for this. Log into your Instagram account. Go to settings.
- Scroll down until you reach the option “Include your account when recommending similar accounts people might want to follow”.
- If you wish to be discovered by more people, check the box. Otherwise, remove the check from the box.
2-Limit your Contact List
There are two ways to do this.
- You can remove your number from your account after creating it. This will limit the exposure it will have to your contacts.
- Delete unwanted contacts from your phonebook list. This will also limit your account’s exposure and Instagram will not suggest your account to people in your contacts.
3-Unfriend Unwanted Facebook Connections
You will do yourself a favor by removing unwanted connections from your Facebook. This will also limit their chances of discovering your Instagram profile. In this way, Instagram will not use people you may know from your Facebook contacts.
4-Remove Your Institute’s Name From Your Profile
Another way of keeping your account safe is to limit the information you provide on your Facebook profile. By removing your school, college, and institute’s name, you will limit your chances of being discovered.
5-Unfollow Unnecessary Accounts
By clearing your following, you can also limit your account’s exposure. This is because Instagram also suggests people you may know from your following and follower list.
Conclusion
Instagram’s people you may know feature allows you to discover more people that you would like to connect with. But, if you wish to limit that exposure, you can try different strategies as listed in this article. In simple terms, remove all the unnecessary and unwanted connections to stay as private as you’d like.
FAQs
1-Why Does Instagram Show Who You Might Know?
Instagram uses its feature “suggested for you” or “who you might know on Instagram” to help users find their connections such as friends, relatives, and acquaintances who are also on Instagram. This helps you find people without having to manually search for them on Instagram. You also do not need to know their usernames.
2-How to Be In Someone’s Suggestions on Instagram?
You can show up in someone’s “suggested for you” on Instagram if they have saved your contact number. If they are friends with you on Facebook, you can also show up in their suggestions.
3-Does Instagram Suggest Users Who Search Your Profile?
No, Instagram does not suggest users who search or view your profile.
4-Can I Disable People You Might Know on Instagram?
There is no way to disable people you might know on Instagram but you can limit your exposure by keeping a narrow contact list, and friend list on Facebook, and limiting the information you add to your social media accounts.
