Instagram desperately wants you to create a new account
Sounds like someone is trying to boost their user numbers.
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
If you haven’t noticed, Instagram is subtly pushing users to start a new account. A couple of weeks back, the app presented me with a popup that encouraged me to “try a new account” and floated the idea that it would help me “keep up with a smaller group of friends.”
But what’s the point of doing that when Instagram already offers you the ability to share Stories with “Close Friends” and set an account to private? This sounds like an easy cash grab to boost the company’s user numbers, but hey, I could be wrong.
People using multiple Instagram accounts isn’t anything new. Ever heard of the term “finsta“? It’s basically another term for “fake insta.” People create these accounts if they don’t want to get caught liking someone’s picture from their original account or as a way to skirt the company’s tailored algorithm.
When I was initially served the popup, I didn’t bend to Instagram’s demand. But apparently, creating one through it is super easy. All you have to do is long-press your profile icon or username, and the app will give you the option of logging in or creating a new account. You don’t even have to log out of your existing account to create a new one.
This Wall Street Journal report points out that you can even link the accounts. The second account will just be an extension of the first account, kind of like how Netflix does it when you create a new user profile. You can even set these up to have Instagram treat them as separate accounts with their own login too.
If this sounds like something you want to try out, the option is there. While Facebook strictly prohibits this, Instagram actively pushes you to do it. And clearly, they’re not even trying to hide it, as this Instagram spokeswoman says in a statement to WSJ: “Creating another account to serve other interests on Instagram is possible [and] can be seamless.”
Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.
Editors’ Recommendations:
- How to appear offline in Instagram
- Instagram is offering creators up to $35K to post on its TikTok clone
- Instagram a testing a feature that prompts you do anything but use its app
- Facebook and Instagram will no longer target you based on your race or religion
Follow us on Flipboard, Google News, or Apple News
