In an official declaration published this Tuesday, Instagram announced the incorporation of several features oriented to make the social platform a more secure place to everyone.
There are several changes that will affect how users interact within the application. The main innovation presented is the possibility of controlling the personal posts with two inclusions. First, the user can turn off the comment section on a post, if they think the published photo can”stand on its own.” Any user can do this by going to the “Advanced settings” window and selecting the “Turn off commenting” option. This will deny the possibility of any person on posting anything below the photo, and even the user can reverse the decision and activate the comment section afterward. It is a very flexible feature.
Secondly, Instagram introduced the ability to like comments by tapping the famous heart icon next to the selected comment. They assure that with this innovation they are encouraging the spread of positive feedback while enhancing friendly support among users.
Remove followers secretly and anonymous aid
Before this update, the only way a user could remove a follower from their profile was by blocking it. Now, the private accounts can select the menu next to a user’s name and tap the “remove follower” option and automatically will take effect. This decision will not be notified to the other user. Instagram is confident that with these changes, any person can feel safer and does not have to worry about who is looking at their personal posts.
Also, Instagram has included in their application the possibility to help another person anonymously. If a user sees any friend struggling or having a rough time, and they need support, the user can now help. If there is the possibility of self-injury, the user can report anonymously, and Instagram will contact the appropriate organizations that could assist in the case. This aid is available 24/7, Instagram stated.
According to declarations to Instagram´s Co-founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom, the objective is to make the social network a safer place to all the users.
“These updates still mark the beginning. We will continue to work to maintain Instagram as a welcoming and safe place for everyone,” Systrom said in a blog post this Tuesday.
Update after update
This body of innovations came only six months after the incorporation of the polemic Instagrams Stories. Over the last month, there has been some discussion on media platforms that claimed that Instagram was notifying other users when someone took a screenshot of certain posts.
In fact, if someone screenshots a disappearing image from “Instagram stories,” the social network will notify the person who shared the story. However, the regular media from a user, the one that does not disappear after some time, still can be saved without activating any notification.
Source: Instagram Blog