Instagram now lets you see when your friends are online
Now your friends can see exactly how much time you spend lurking on Instagram.
Instagram announced Thursday the rollout of a new feature that will let your followers see when you're using the app. The concept is similar to Facebook Messenger: when someone you follow or have previously messaged with, is "active" in the app, Instagram will show a small green bubble next to their name to let you know that they're online.
Instagram explained that the goal of the feature is to make it easier for users to chat within the app.
"This update gives you the ability to have more of those realtime conversations while giving you the control to hide your status altogether," the company wrote in a blog post.
But while it makes chatting a little more immediate, it may also push users to spend even more time in the app. Instagram users already swap a ton of messages, and adding these status indicators will likely only encourage more messaging.
Instagram's CEO has said the company is working on features to fight tech addiction and ensure that users' time in the app is "positive and intentional."
If this all sounds a little creepy to you, don't worry. You can opt to turn the feature off entirely. Just go to "activity status" in the app's main settings to disable activity status (when disabled, you won't be able to view which of your friends are online, either).
Topics Facebook Instagram Social Media
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
