Social media platforms like Instagram are great for catching up with followers and acquaintances. They allow you to share your memorable everyday moments with family and friends. Businesses can also benefit from using visual content to create brand awareness and generate quality leads.
However, there’s a dark side to Instagram and other social networks that many people ignore. Not everyone on social media has good intentions. Someone may stalk your Instagram profile without your consent to gain private information about you. They may use your content and data maliciously for personal gain.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 3.4 million people are victims of stalking at one point in their lifetime. About 32% of the victims experience stalking on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Knowing how to see who stalks your Instagram can help keep these unwanted guests out of your personal space. The sad part is that Instagram doesn’t let you see who is stalking you, let alone who viewed your profile.
So how can I tell who stalks my Instagram? Let’s find out
The Impact of Stalking on Instagram
It’s important to note that some people view internet stalking as an innocent and unconventional way of knowing if someone is interested in their profile or brand, while others consider it abusive or intrusive. Whichever way you view it, cyberstalking is often unwanted behavior with severe implications for victims. It is not surprising the Department of Justice considers stalking a crime.
The effects of stalking might include fear, stress, depression, anxiety, trauma, and other disruptive psychological consequences. It often leads to harassment and increases the likelihood of cyberbullying. If left unaddressed, stalking can sometimes lead to financial losses and personal injury.
The good news is you can avoid these problems and mitigate the risks by identifying who stalks your Instagram.
How to See Who Stalked Your Instagram
There’s no complete, definitive way to see who is stalking you on Instagram. However, we have tips you can use to learn how to see who stalked your Instagram.
Check Your Instagram Engagement and Interactions
Even though Instagram does not let users see who views their profiles, there are several ways you can detect Instagram stalkers. The quickest way to see who is stalking you is by checking your Instagram engagement and interactions.
When you post a new photo or reel on Instagram, you expect your followers to interact with it using likes, comments, mentions, and shares. Instagram will notify you whenever someone comments or likes your post.
If you notice a new string of comments or likes from unrecognized people on pictures posted over two years ago, you’re probably dealing with a stalker trolling through your account. If the post is fresh and you get comments and likes from people who don’t follow you, and you have done nothing to expand your reach, they may be stalking you.
After all, small accounts who do not attempt to boost their reach will have their posts only appear on their followers’ feeds. This means the new person had to search out your profile to view your content on purpose.
Check Instagram Story Views
Another way to fish out Instagram stalkers is to check your Instagram stories. Although Instagram doesn’t let you see who viewed your profile, you can check who viewed your stories.
Open the Instagram app on your device and go to your stories. Swap up on any story to see the list of viewers. If you find a non-follower has viewed your story, they may be stalking you.
Check Highlights Viewers
Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours. However, you can add your stories to your profile as highlights. Instagram highlights do not vanish and remain consistently visible to your followers. Depending on your visibility settings, non-followers can also view your story highlights.
As with Instagram stories, you can see viewers of your highlights. The list includes their usernames and profile pictures. If you notice an unrecognized username or a profile without a photo on the list, they are possibly Instagram stalkers. You can click their usernames to determine whether or not they are your followers too.
View Account and Post Insights
When you boost a post or place an ad with your professional account, you can view insights to measure the performance of your posts. However, it’s somewhat tricky to separate stalkers from genuine prospects.
After all, your objective is to reach more people beyond your followers. Instagram insights don’t display individual names. They only show follower growth, the location of your followers, age, content interactions, and engagement rates.
Despite the limitation, you can sniff out someone you suspect of stalking you by hiding your story from everyone else except them. Here’s how to go about it:
- Open the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines)
- Tap Settings And Privacy
- Go to Who Can See Your Content
- Tap Hide Story And Live
- Tap Hide Story And Live From
- Hide your story from all followers except the suspected stalker
- Tap the back arrow or Done
Go to your account insights after a while. If you see the view count rise quickly, the person is possibly a stalker who is repeatedly watching your story.
Analyze Your Followers
Another way to detect a stalker is to scrutinize your follower list. Stalkers often use pseudo or fake Instagram accounts for their creeping activities. Fortunately, spotting a fake Instagram account on your follower list is easy. These profiles usually bear the following characteristics:
- No profile picture
- Incomplete bio
- Few or no posts
- Absurd name and username
- Low follower count
- Spammy DMs
- Generic comments
- Offer unrealistic discounts
- Post stock photos
Consider Third-Party Apps
Although we don’t recommend it, you can consider using third-party apps to find your Instagram stalkers. These apps claim to show who stalks your Instagram profile. You can see who viewed your posts, visited your profile, or blocked your account.
However, the credibility and accuracy of most of these apps are unverifiable. Since most are free, they may compromise your privacy further by selling your data to generate income. Before using an app, ensure they are from a reputable site. Check if the reviews are valid before downloading and installing the app.
How to Safeguard Your Instagram From Cyberstalkers
Since social networks are open to everyone, catching a stalker on Instagram can be challenging. You never know when they’ll strike. Fortunately, you can take extra steps to safeguard your account from cyberstalkers. Here are a few tips for securing your account:
Change Your Account to Private
Switching your account to private is one way of keeping stalkers and prying eyes at bay. This option is suitable for people with personal rather than business accounts. Professional profiles cannot make their accounts private.
With a private account, only your followers can view your posts and profile. This strategy also hides your follower list. However, your bio, username, and name will remain public outside Instagram.
Here’s how to switch to a private account:
- Open the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines)
- Tap Settings And Privacy
- Go to Who Can See Your Content
- Tap Account Privacy
- Tap the toggle next to Private Account
- Tap Switch to Private to approve changes
Limit Your Visibility
Aside from switching to a private account, you can limit what people can see on your Instagram profile. You can prevent some followers from interacting with your posts by changing your visibility settings.
- Open the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines)
- Tap Settings And Privacy
- Tap How Others Can Interact With You
- Go to Hidden Words
- Toggle your preferred settings (Hide comments, Advanced comment filtering, Hide message requests)
Remove Block Fake or Suspicious Instagram Followers
If you have a massive following, you’ll realize that some are fake followers. After all, not everyone on social media means well. Nonetheless, you can protect yourself by unfollowing or blocking suspicious followers.
Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap your profile picture
- Tap Followers
- Find the follower you’d like to remove
- Tap Remove next to the follower name
- Tap Remove to confirm your selection
Alternatively,
- Tap their username
- Tap Block
- Tap Block again to confirm your selection
Scrutinize New Follower Requests
If your Instagram account is private, anyone who wants to follow you must send you a follower request. You can approve or deny the request.
Most people accept follower requests before thinking twice. After all, having a massive Instagram following can be exciting. However, some follower requests might come from Instagram stalkers. Scrutinizing each request can help keep unwanted guests from your space.
- Open the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap the notifications icon
- Tap Follow Requests
- Scrutinize each request by tapping the follower’s username and viewing their account
- Tap Confirm to approve, or Delete to deny the request
Manage Your Tags and Mentions
Instagram allows users to tag and mention their friends in their posts. Your followers can tag and mention you in their photos and stories to increase their exposure. Your tagged post will appear on your profile.
However, tagging can compromise your privacy by providing stalkers more information about you. Fortunately, you can adjust tagging mentions in your settings, allowing you to approve them before they appear on your profile.
- Open the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines)
- Tap Settings And Privacy
- Tap How Others Can Interact With You
- Go to Who Can Tag You and select who can tag you
- Go to Mentions and select who can mention you
Report Threatening Activity
Stalking can escalate to cyberbullying, harassment, and emotional distress. When left unaddressed, cyberstalking can even lead to identity theft, financial loss, and personal injury. If you feel threatened, you must report it immediately to Instagram.
- Open the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap the profile or username of the suspect
- Tap the three dots at the top-right of their profile
- Tap Report
- Follow the on-screen prompts to submit your report
FAQs
Can you know if someone searched for you on Instagram?
No, you cannot tell if someone searched for you on Instagram. The platform does not notify users if someone searches for them.
Do Instagram Insights show who viewed my profile?
Instagram insights only show the number of views your posts got. It does not show the individual names of the viewers, so you cannot know who checked your profile.
Can I tell how many times a person views my content on Instagram?
No, you can’t tell how many times a person checks your content, even if they repeatedly view your stories or videos. This is because views on stories and videos only count once.
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