The social media platform Instagram allows users to share posts with a wide range of privacy settings, and one of these options is for users to post a story which is only visible to their closest friends. But when users add such a story to their profile highlights, who exactly can see it? In this article, we will explain the privacy settings on Instagram and who has access to these stories when properly highlighted.
I. Introduction
A strong introduction to a topic or topic area is an essential part of any project, article or report. It sets the context, provides the reader with a frame of reference and, very importantly, poses the problem to be solved. It can also set the tone and expectations for the remainder of the work.
An introduction in academic writing should provide a clear understanding of the structure of the document. In this section we will discuss the top 3 components that should make up a successful introduction:
- State the topic
- Provide background information
- Present the main points and objectives
The introduction is an important part of the whole work, both in terms of defining one’s goals and expressing an opinion. It should be concise, to the point and captivating. By familiarizing yourself with the basics, you can easily compose a good introduction that will introduce your topic in an effective and engaging way.
II. Understanding Instagram Privacy Settings
One of the main benefits of Instagram is that you can customize the privacy of your content. You can choose who can and cannot see the posts you share — from a single person to all your followers.
It’s important to understand how to manage the privacy settings of your Instagram account.
To access the privacy settings:
- Tap the profile icon in the bottom right corner of your Instagram app.
- Tap the three lines in the top right of your profile.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Privacy.
From the Privacy setting (in the Settings menu) you can control who can see your posts, who can send you private messages, who can see your stories, who can add tags and tags of you, and block accounts.
You also have the option to control who can comment on your posts. In the Comment settings, you can customize who can comment on your posts and what words or phrases will be censored from the comments.
III. What Are Instagram Profile Highlights?
Instagram profile highlights are a feature that allows you to showcase your most important stories and content right on your profile page. They look like circles that appear just below your profile picture and bio. You have the option to create as many highlights as you like, to arrange them in specific ways, and name each one with whatever title you choose.
This feature helps you organize your content to effectively tell your story and create a consistent and attractive visual aesthetic on your profile page. It also allows you to keep your content organized in an eye-catching way, making it easier for viewers to preview your stories.
You can choose to highlight posts you’ve liked, stories, videos, images, and much more. For personal accounts, use Highlights to show off your favorite memories, friends and family, hobbies, interests, and more. For business accounts, use Highlights to showcase images of your products, services you offer, new promotions, client feedback, and much more. Here are some other creative uses of Highlights:
- Link to Your Website: Add a link to your website in one of your profile highlights for easy access.
- Add Q&A: Add FAQs and other important information in a profile highlight.
- Create Tutorials: Add tutorials or other how-to content in a profile highlight.
- Feature Testimonials: Put customer feedback or other testimonials in a profile highlight.
- Highlight a Hashtag: Showcase a hashtag your followers should use in a profile highlight.
IV. Who Can View Your Instagram Story Post?
When you post content on Instagram Stories, you have control over who can see it. When sharing content on your story, you can choose whether it is visible to your followers, just close friends, or a select few people.
Custom – Share with Specific People: If you don’t want to share your story with the general public, going the custom route may be the way to go. With this option, you can specify a handful of people you want to see your post. All you have to do is go to the privacy settings of a particular post and select “Custom” from the options.
Hide Story from Certain People: You may have some people who you are connected with on Instagram, but you would like to keep them from viewing your stories. You can do this by hiding your stories from certain people. From your profile page, select the gear icon to go to your profile settings. Select the “Story Settings” option and select “Hide Story from” from the drop-down menu. A simple list of users you can hide your story from will appear. Check off the names of the people you want to hide your stories from.
- At this point, these people won’t be able to view your stories and you’ll still show up in their followers/following list and they’ll still appear in your stories viewer list if they view one of the posts before you hide the story.
- You can also remove someone from your “close friends” list if you don’t want them to receive notifications every time you post.
V. How to Restrict Profile Highlights to Close Friends
Grouping Friends into Lists
To restrict profile highlights to close friends, grouping friends into different lists can help. For each list, it’s possible to adjust who can see each post to a specific group of people with different settings like family, co-workers, or close friends. This can be helpful to hide posts and stories from other groups of friends and family. To do this, first, navigate to the Friends tab in your profile. Then, click on the “+” sign and start creating new lists. It’s also possible to manually add people to the list after creating it.
Limiting Post Visibility
Now, when you’re creating a post, after writing it, the list of people who can see it can be adjusted by clicking on the list icon on the lower right side of the post. After clicking on the list, it will pop up and all the different lists you’ve created will appear, and it’s possible to choose which lists should see your posts. It’s also possible to allow or disallow specific people from seeing a post.
Managing Comment Settings
Along with limiting post visibility, it’s possible to manage comment settings too. Just like before, when creating a post, after writing it, by clicking on the lock icon on the lower right side of the post, it’s possible to adjust the comment permissions. The list of comment settings are:
- Public — allows anyone to comment
- Close Friends — only people in that list can comment
- Friends — only your approved friends can comment
- People You Follow — allows people you follow to comment
- No One — no one can comment on the post
Managing comment settings can further help keep certain posts and stories private.
It is important to remember that when adding a story to Instagram, who is able to see it is completely up to you. By using the privacy settings and profile Highlights, you can easily control what your friends, acquaintances, and even the public can view. Setting up the preferred levels of privacy for your stories will ensure that only your close friends will be able to view the content, keeping your posts secure.
