Instagram has a couple of new features that many people are not too excited about.
The photos and videos sharing platform owned by Facebook, has removed its infamous “following” tab, which let you secretly keep track of what posts your friends were liking.
Another new feature on the social media app restricts access. You will no longer let you view more than a handful of photos on public profiles if you’re not logged in. The platform now requires you to sign in to your Instagram account before you can view a public account.
This change has been implemented on both mobile and desktop versions of the platform. Prior to the update, which was implemented in the last few weeks, anyone could browse public-facing profiles on Instagram via a browser without logging into the service.
In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the change. “Now if you’re not logged into Instagram, you can only see a certain amount of posts on public profiles before being asked to log in. This is to help people see photos on Instagram and then understand how to get the best Instagram experience by being part of the community, connecting and interacting with the people and things they love.”
In July, Instagram said they will be debuting two new features to curb the growing problem of bullying and harassment on the social network to prevent bullying in the first place as well as provide tools to those who are being bullied.
In May, the company reported that it took action on 2.6 million pieces of bullying or harassing content during the first quarter. Of that content, Facebook only proactively found 14.1 per cent before users reported it.
