Don’t you just hate it when your latest selfie or vacation pic gets a like or comment from an unwanted admirer? It’s no secret that social media has become an integral part of our lives – but the unfortunate reality of this situation is that potential stalkers have more access to us than ever before. In this post, we’ve put together some tips on how to know if someone stalks you on Instagram. Learn how to detect suspicious behavior and protect yourself so that all your page interactions come from admirers and friends with pure intentions. Read on to find out more about safeguarding against potential intruders.
What Does “Stalk” Mean on Instagram?
The line between social curiosity and concerning behavior on Instagram can be somewhat ambiguous The term “stalk” or “Instagram stalking” is often used freely when describing interactions, and most often it simply refers to someone delving into your post history and viewing all or many of your Instagram Stories either anonymously or through a known account. Stalking in this context is not considered to be a crime. Other more serious forms of stalking include online harassment and threats, which you can learn more about here.
A more serious kind of stalking typically involves a person’s ill-intentioned use of the platform; when someone is viewing Stories or liking posts with malicious intent to anonymously or identifiably cyberbully, harass, or obtain personal information without permission from the other person. In these more severe cases, stalkers have even been known to harass their targets for years.
How To Know If Someone Stalks You On Instagram?
Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t provide a lot of information about who visits your profile if they choose not to interact. One of the best ways to determine who may be stalking you on Instagram is to check whether someone is habitually watching your Stories and liking your posts over an extended time. Instagram does offer some newer methods to gauge relations with your followers as well. Take advantage of interactive elements in your Stories and create multiple ones so you have a better understanding of how much content someone is consuming. Plus with the new ‘Liked Story’ feature, it’ll make finding that overzealous user even easier – giving you all the info necessary for identifying exactly who can’t get enough!
How to Find Out Who Stalks You on Instagram?
If you find unfamiliar accounts viewing your Instagram Stories, that could be an indicator that you have a stalker. Instagram doesn’t offer ways to reveal who is behind an account if the details of that account don’t make it known, but they do offer users full control of the privacy settings on their page. Setting your page to private, or creating private Stories is a great way to ensure that your posts aren’t viewed by the wrong eyes. To get started adjusting your privacy settings, simply head over to ‘Privacy’ in Settings, where you’ll be able to set your profile to private or public. Once the profile is set to private, accounts that don’t already follow you won’t be able to view your Stories.
Conclusion
Although it can be flattering to have someone constantly liking your photos or videos, unwanted attention can also be creepy and unsettling. If you think someone is stalking you on Instagram, there are a few tell-tale signs to look out for. They include: always liking your photos, constantly commenting on your posts, private messaging you regularly without any reply, and habitually viewing and interacting with your Instagram Stories. All of these indicators will help you learn how to know if someone stalks you on Instagram and whether you should take measures to protect yourself accordingly.
