There is no escaping the fact that follower count matters on Instagram.
Not only does having more followers equate to a wider reach, but it also adds authority to your account in the eyes of Instagram and increases your chance of being invited to partake in collaborations with brands and creator profiles.
But what about the number of accounts that you follow back?
You may have noticed that some of the most popular Instagram profiles boast millions of followers but have very few users listed under their “Following”. There are several reasons for this.
- They may be producing content to widen their own reach and to develop their own industry authority with very little emphasis on the formation of a community and engagement.
- They may not use Instagram often, but find their account buoyed by their popularity in other areas (A-list celebrities, we’re looking at you!)
- They might feel that the Instagram Following cap is too tight, so rather than offending some of their followers they strip the list back completely
Because, while the number of followers you have can stretch into the millions, the number of accounts that you can follow from a single account does have a cap – and it’s a mere 7,500.
Why Does Instagram Have a Following Limit?
The reason why Instagram introduced a ‘Following’ limit or maximum number is to reduce the likelihood of accounts that follow mass numbers of profiles and then spam them.
Bots and spam accounts are a rising problem on Instagram and other social media platforms. Adding an upper limit to the number of profiles that a single account can follow helps to minimise the risk of bots and fake accounts following millions of profiles and then spamming them with unwanted content.
Because of this, if you try to follow even just one extra profile after you’ve reached the 7,500 limit, you will see an error message and find the activity blocked. To follow any more profiles, you will first need to unfollow some to make room.
Do you think that this is a fair way to minimise the risk of spam or do you find the Instagram limit annoying?
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