As part of its round of updates, Instagram is rolling out a “Close Friends” feature, where users can customize a list of Close Friends and only allow the select group of friends to see Stories and Highlights. Instagram has “borrowed” plenty of features from Snapchat, and this is another key trait that the company are looking to replicate. And in doing so it has managed, in a relatively short period of time, to build what feels like its own successful social silo.
Fake Instagram accounts, known as “Finsta”, allow anonymity for users to use them much like that of Snapchat account. Instagram after all is an open platform and easy to sign up with minimal verification needed. Instead of taking this as a privacy issue and requiring more validation in the sign-up process or having Finstas identify themselves, Instagram is allowing users themselves to filter them out.
They’re also recognizing a new pool of audience: the “in-between” users who don’t necessarily want to put their account on Private but also don’t want to expose their lives to strangers.
We’ve seen messaging apps and communication platforms handle personalizing and privacy concerns well, and we’ve also seen those that… don’t do as well. It’s important that huge platforms like Instagram ensure privacy for a safe user experience. If Instagram is taking a stand to make a closed circle network, one that’s a more personal experience within friendship groups, it may also limit or drive growth between brands and the audience at hand.
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