As a frequent user of Instagram, you may have noticed certain notifications that seem to suggest that you may know certain contacts on Instagram. “X, who you might know, is on Instagram”, where X is the name of a user on Instagram.
A number of times, your “Activity” section on Instagram becomes flooded with “X, who you might know, is on Instagram” notifications. What do these notifications mean?
Is there a way to turn “Who you might know is on Instagram” notifications off? In this article, you are going to learn what “Who you might know is on Instagram” means.
You are also going to learn how to turn off “Who you might know is on Instagram” notifications.
What Does “Who You Might Know is on Instagram” Mean?
The phrase “Who you might know is on Instagram” typically means that Instagram is suggesting people you may know or want to follow on the platform.
Instagram uses algorithms to analyze your activity on the platform, such as the accounts you follow, the posts you like, and the hashtags you use, to suggest similar accounts or people you may be interested in following.
As you continually use Instagram, you may often receive notifications that read “X, who you might know, is on Instagram.”
You can find a number of these notifications when you go to your “Activity” section on your Instagram.
These frequent and sometimes rather annoying notifications are a result of Instagram’s algorithm to get you to follow more people on Instagram.
To generate these notifications, Instagram draws from different interactions you make on Instagram and even Facebook.
Mutual friends on Instagram
Instagram is able to draw from your frequent interactions with other Instagram users that you are particularly close with specific users.
If you are close to a particular user, it is very likely that you may share mutual friends with them. Instagram suggests some of these users so that you can follow them.
Friends from Facebook
If you have connected your Facebook account to your Instagram account, friends on Facebook who you have not followed yet on Instagram will be suggested to you to follow.
These are some of the ways by which “Who you might know is on Instagram” notifications are generated. They can get quite annoying and may be an invasion of your privacy.
How to Turn off “Who You Might Know is on Instagram” Notifications
You may find “Who you might know is on Instagram” notifications quite unnecessary. They may be too frequent for your liking or you may simply have no interest in them.
They may even be a bother to your privacy. So are there ways to turn off such notifications? Yes, you can turn this notification off.
Follow the step-by-step guide below to turn off “Who you might know is on Instagram” notifications.
Turn off Notification using Instagram Web
You can only turn off this notification feature using the Instagram web on a desktop computer.
Step 1: Log in to Instagram web
With a web browser of your choice, go to Instagram.com and log in. Provide your username and password to log in.
Step 2: Go to your profile
After logging in, you are directed to your Instagram homepage. To access your Instagram profile, click on your profile at the bottom left corner of the homepage.
On your profile page, click on the gear icon at the top right corner of the screen.
In the pop-up menu that appears, select “Settings and privacy“.
Step 3: Toggle off “Show account suggestions on profiles”
Under the “Edit profile” section, scroll down to “Show account suggestions on profiles.”
This option allows you to choose whether people can see your account suggestions on your profile and whether your account can be suggested on other profiles.
There is a toggle button beside it. Click on it to turn it off.
This puts an end to all “Who you might know notifications” on your Instagram.
Are there benefits to turning off “Who You Might Know is on Instagram” Notifications?
For many users, getting rid of these notifications is all they really want because they find the notifications annoying or irrelevant.
Note that, while it may give you peace of mind, it can also save you from connecting with strangers who get suggestions from you. This can ensure a certain level of privacy for you as you use Instagram.
Conclusion
Using Instagram can get a bit annoying for many different reasons. One of them is the frequent “Who you might know” notifications that you keep getting.
These are notifications that suggest certain users who you may know for you to follow. Not everyone needs such notifications or wants to follow people they may hardly know.
This article has looked at a step-by-step guide to turn off “Who you might know” notifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean when Instagram sends who you might know is on Instagram?
These frequent and sometimes rather annoying notifications are a result of Instagram’s algorithm to get you to follow more people on Instagram.
To generate these notifications, Instagram draws from different interactions you make on Instagram and even Facebook.
How does Instagram suggest who you might know?
To generate these notifications, Instagram draws from different interactions you make on Instagram and even Facebook.
- Mutual friends on Instagram
Instagram is able to draw from your frequent interactions with other Instagram users that you are particularly close with specific users.
If you are close to a particular user, it is very likely that you may share mutual friends with them. Instagram suggests some of these users so that you can follow them.
- Friends from Facebook
If you have connected your Facebook account to your Instagram account, friends on Facebook who you have not followed yet on Instagram will be suggested to you to follow.
These are some of the ways by which “Who you might know is on Instagram” notifications are generated.
How do you turn off someone you might know on Instagram?
Go to Instagram web and log in
Open your profile
Under “Edit profile”, click the checkmark beside “Show account suggestions on profiles”. This turns off “Who you might know is on Instagram” notifications.
