Instagram Stories are a popular feature on the social media platform, allowing users to share images and videos with their followers for up to 24 hours. In some cases, a person may block someone right after viewing their Instagram Story – but what happens to the view? Can the blocked user see that you watched their story? Here, we will explore the answer to this question.
1. What is Instagram Story?
Instagram Stories is a feature within Instagram that allows users to share moments from their day with their followers. Stories are shown at the top of your feed and can be seen for up to 24 hours.
Story Video: You can add videos of up to 15 seconds to your story. Stories are meant to be creative, fun, and informal.
Story Images: You can add images to your story. There are filters, stickers, and text features available to help customize images associated with your story.
Stories Highlights: You can also choose to put stories in “Highlights” which are seen on your profile page. This allows you to choose specific stories to share that can last indefinitely.
- Create and share Stories
- Add text, stickers, and filters
- Share stories from your feed
2. Can Someone View My Instagram Story After I Block Them?
When you block someone on Instagram, they won’t be able to see your profile, photos, videos, stories, or even search for you. However, depending on certain circumstances, they may still be able to view your Instagram stories.
When the Person Wasn’t Blocked Before Seeing Your Story Your blocked contact was able to view your story before you blocked them (even if they didn’t tap on it), they might still be able to view it, depending on your privacy settings. Even when the Privacy setting “Hide Story From” is enabled, blocked contacts may be able to see your story before you cut them off. So, if you haven’t blocked a contact before they saw your story, there’s a chance they’ll still be able to see it.
If Your Story is Set to Public Your blocked contact might be able to view your story even after you blocked them, if your story is set to public. To do this, they will either have to view your profile page, or look at the story through a shared link. Note that they won’t be able to see your profile page if you have a private account.
- If your blocked contact never scanned your story before you blocked them, they won’t be able to view it.
- Check your Privacy Settings to ensure that your story isn’t viewable by blocked contacts.
- If your story is set to public, it may be viewable via your profile page or through a shared link.
3. How Is Viewing an Instagram Story Different From Viewing a Profile?
When viewing an Instagram story, the content is short-term and only lasts for up to 24 hours. It can be viewed multiple times, but after the 24 hour period, the story disappears. The content of the story is almost always different from the content of the profile since it is only displayed temporarily.
The content within a story is typically more informal or spontaneous compared to a profile. Stories are a great way to showcase day-to-day life or share quick updates with followers. The main focus of a story is usually to show what is happening right now and is meant to be seen quickly and easily.
On the other hand, profile pictures and images are prominent on every Instagram feed and profile. This content is usually not changed physically, but the captions or content may be swapped out. The profile is ideal for displaying long-term content and in more depth than stories.
- Viewing stories is short-term and only lasts for up to 24 hours
- Stories are informal and show what is happening in real-time
- Profiles are for displaying long-term content and captions
4. What Are the Privacy Implications of Viewing and Blocking an Instagram Story?
Whether you’re a content creator or a follower, it’s important to consider all the implications of viewing and blocking Instagram stories. Here are 4 key points that you should know.
- Viewing a story: Viewers cannot interact with the story, so Instagram won’t be notified if you’ve seen it or not. Thus, your activity on this story will remain private unless you leave a comment.
- Blocking a story: Blocking a story means that it won’t show up on your feed. However, the person who posted the story will still be able to see that you’ve blocked it, making it an inherently public act.
- Viewing a blocked story: You can only view a blocked story if the original poster shares it directly with you. If you find out about the blocked story from someone else, the poster does not have to take any additional steps to protect their privacy.
- Privacy implications: If you’re the one viewing or blocking a story, your privacy is mostly secure. However, it’s important to note that the person who posted the story might not be aware of the implications of the action they’re taking, like when they share a story that someone has blocked.
Ultimately, it’s important to stay aware of the privacy implications of your activities on Instagram. Viewing and blocking stories can be harmless, but it’s important to take into account the potential consequences for your privacy and for that of the other people involved.
5. What Are the Alternatives to Blocking Someone After Viewing An Instagram Story?
Ignoring
Sometimes, the best response when someone has done something to hurt you is to simply ignore them. This can be a difficult thing to do, especially if you’re feeling particularly hurt by their action. But it can be an effective way of making sure that your emotions don’t get the better of you. Plus, ignoring someone means that you don’t expend any energy on responding to the situation, leaving you free to move on with your life.
Muting
If you want to take a less extreme route than blocking someone, you can always decide to mute them instead. This means that their posts and stories won’t show up in your feed and you won’t get any notifications about them when they post something or send you a message. It’s a simpler option that still ensures your emotional well-being is taken care of without causing any serious consequences.
Talking It Out
In some cases, it may be possible to work out your differences and find a solution together. This will only work if both people involved are willing to have open and honest conversations about the issue at hand. If you think that a discussion is possible, then it’s always worth trying to clear the air with them and reach some kind of compromise. This can be a more constructive and mature way of dealing with an issue between two people.
In conclusion, it all boils down to the fact that if you view someone’s Instagram story and then block them right away, they will not be able to see that you viewed it. It is important to note, however, that blocking someone may not necessarily be the best way to go in certain scenarios and can lead to unwanted tensions.
