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PSA: Instagram's new ask feature is not anonymous

This is not AskFM.

Morgan Sung

on July 11, 2018

Instagram rolled out a new sticker on Tuesday, allowing people to ask questions and reply to stories.

It quickly drew comparisons to the drama-filled cesspits that were AskFM and Formspring, sites from a previous era where users could anonymously ask each other questions and send comments. Since there was no way to (easily) know who sent you messages, the anonymous ask sites provided a double edged sword of both being a place where you could anonymously tell your crush they looked cute, and also providing a platform for cyberbullying.

Here's a PSA about Instagram stories: Unlike AskFM and Formspring, Instagram asks ARE NOT ANONYMOUS.

Like with its polls and emoji sliders, Instagram's being a total snake about who's interacting with your stories. Even though its ask sticker doesn't display someone's name when your reply to their question, your notifications will show exactly who asked it.

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