With many people becoming progressively wary of social media, deleting Instagram might be the hottest social media trend of the year. As more and more of your friends might be crossing over to the dark side (or, the bright side?) and deleting their Instagram accounts, it can be hard to keep track. If an online acquaintance’s IG disappearance has you shaking your head, here’s how to tell if someone deleted their Instagram.
Before you worry that your friend might have Irish-exited from the photo- and video-sharing platform, there are myriad reasons why you might not be able to find someone’s account. They might have changed their username, or they they might have deactivated temporarily in order to commit to taking a social media break. In other cases, you might not be able to find someone because they’ve blocked you from seeing their Instagram account.
With so many possibilities, and a lack of a formal “deactivated” label or notification, it can be hard to know for sure whether someone is totally off the grid, just off for now, or just off for you. Here are the best methods to figure out if someone deleted their Instagram.
How to Tell If Someone Deleted Their Instagram
If the person is someone you message often on Instagram, or whom you have tagged photos with, it can be pretty easy to tell if they’ve just changed their username. Check your inbox for a recent conversation with them, or pull up a photo that you know they’re tagged in. If they’ve just changed their username, their tag and/or your conversation with them will reflect this new username. If their tag doesn’t appear, or your messages with them say, “Instagram user,” they’ve either deactivated their account or they’ve blocked you.
Business Insider notes that one of the easiest ways to check for someone’s account is to search on a browser for their account. Type in, “Instagram.com/[username],” and swap in their actual username. If it comes to a screen that says “This page is not available,” they’ve either deleted their account or they have blocked you. Reader’s Digest also suggests the above method while you’re logged out of Instagram on your browser. If you’re able to see their profile while logged out, but not while you’re logged in, then it’s likely they’ve blocked you. TechCult also recommends asking a friend to check on someone’s account. If they’re able to easily find someone’s account with a simple search, but you can’t, you’ve likely been blocked.
But just like there are plenty of reasons to delete Instagram, there’s also plenty of reasons you may want to block someone on Instagram. (For example, if you’re trying to spy on your new direct report at work, consider all the times you blocked your own boss from seeing your Instagram story.) If your sleuthing suggests that you’ve been blocked, try not to take it too personally. They might just be a more private person or be clearing out their extensive follower list. Either way, out of sight out of mind, right?
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