You want to have as many followers as possible on social media platforms like Instagram, even if you pay for them. Makes you feel loved and comfortable. It also allows you to spread a message more effectively. This access is very valuable if you are fighting for a social cause, which is why politicians, businesses, and celebrities alike buy Instagram followers via ads and third-party services.
However, having many followers can have its downsides. Makes Instagram not intimate. Many of your followers are people you don’t know, or who don’t know you outside of Instagram. Thus, it removes your freedom to say some of the things you want to say. Your followers may misinterpret a harmless inside joke. It can spoil your reputation. And social media users can be tough on users they think are misbehaving.
Fortunately, Instagram allows you to set the audience for some of your posted content. For example, you can hide stories from certain people. However, the process is not as simple as you would like it to be. You have to select the people you want to hide this from. Then, you have to unblock them if you want your next story to be visible to everyone.
What would you do if you only wanted a select few to see it? You will need to add almost all of your followers to the exclusion list. At this point, it would be best to send the story as a direct message. But this will require you to send the story to everyone you want to be able to see it. You can also create a group chat – but who does that just to send a single photo or video?
Instagram released a solution for this in 2018. It gave users the option to post with more privacy by allowing them to make posts visible only to their close friends.
How to create a list of close friends on Instagram
Close Friends lets you share personal or NSFW material you want to post with only people who already know you. It’s a useful feature, especially if you don’t separate your personal and business accounts. So, how do you set it up?
First, open the Instagram app. Log in if you haven’t done so yet. Next, tap on your profile picture at the bottom right of the screen to get to your profile page.
Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) on the top right of the screen. Select “Close Friends”.
Instagram will show you a list of the accounts you follow. Scroll through and check out the users you want to add to your list by clicking the circle across their usernames. If you want to find a user more easily, you can use the search tool. Then select Done to save your list.
Please note that you cannot select Close Friends when posting a story if the list is empty.
How to remove or add people to your close friends list
What you put your best friends on is not permanent. You can add or remove people as many times as you want. And don’t worry, Instagram will not notify users when they are removed from your close friends list. It also will not notify them when they are added. However, they might know it if they pay close attention to the details.
To add or remove people from your Close Friends list:
Open the Instagram app on your mobile app. Click on your profile picture in the lower right corner of the screen to access your profile page. Next, tap on the hamburger menu on the top right after that.
Select “Close Friends”. This time, the list will display checkmarks for users you’ve already added to your list. You can click these checkmarks to remove them from the list. Alternatively, you can tap on Clear All. This will empty your close friends list.
To add more users, do it as you did last time. Find the users you want to add by scrolling through the list or using the search tool. Click on the circle next to their name. Click “Done” when you are satisfied with the person who is not in your list.
How to post visual-only stories to your close friends
Launch the Instagram app. Tap your profile picture in the top left-hand side of the screen, below the Instagram text banner. Next to it is a small “+” symbol with “Your Story” written on it.
Tap Camera if you want to take a new photo or video. Otherwise, select one that is already in your gallery. Edit the story as you normally would.
Once you’re done editing, tap Close Friends at the bottom of the screen. This will load the story and make it visible only to people on your close friends list.
If you haven’t added people to your Close Friends list, pressing the button will allow you to edit them. After that, you will publish your story.
When you post a Story exclusive to Close Friends, you’ll see a green circle around your profile icon instead of the pink one. People who are not on your close friends list will not see that green circle. Meanwhile, people on your list will see a “Close Friends” label in the upper right when viewing your Story. This is how they will know you have added them to your list. Also, you may indirectly inform them when they are removed. They will notice that you no longer see stories with this label from you.
Takeaway
Social media allows users to connect with a lot of people. But sometimes, you may want to communicate with only the people who are close to you. Moreover, privacy is also one of the top concerns on social media now. Therefore, the Close Friends feature is much appreciated.
It’s a nice feature that allows you to hide your silly posts from the public eye. The world doesn’t need to know everything you do. So give it a try. Go to Instagram now and edit your list. While you’re at it, you can also create an exclusive Close Friends story to see for yourself how it works.
date: December 9, 2022 / Categories: Guide, / Author: Drees rich
