Follow Someone on Instagram

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Instagram is a photo app for your smartphone that not only lets you add cool treatments to your snapshots, it also lets you share them with the world at large. Much like Twitter, the idea of Instagram is to follow people or institutions that you like. In order to make searching for content easier, Instagram makes use of hashtags. You can follow anyone you want, from your best friends to your favorite celebrities.

Steps

  1. Download and install the Instagram app. You will need to use the Instagram app to follow other Instagram users. The app is available for free download from your device's app store.
    • If you are using an iPad, Instagram is only available in iPhone mode. To find and download it, search for "instagram" and then tap the "iPad Only" menu in the upper-left corner of the results page. Select "iPhone Only" to see Instagram in the list of results.
  2. Create an Instagram account, or log in with your Facebook account. If you log in with your Facebook account, you can automatically find Facebook friends to follow.
  3. Follow your Facebook friends. When you first log in to Instagram, you'll be taken to the Home tab.[1]
    • Tap the "View All" button next to "Suggestions for You".
    • Tap "Connect to Facebook". If you didn't log in with your Facebook account, you'll be prompted to now.
    • Decide which friends to follow. You can follow all of your Facebook friends who use Instagram by tapping "+ Follow All" at the top of the list, or you can tap the "+ Follow" next to individual friends.
  4. Follow people from your Contacts list. From the Home tab, tap "Connect Contacts".[2]
    • Agree to allow the Instagram app to access your contacts list.
    • Select the people from your contacts list that you want to follow. They must have a piece of contact information in common with their Instagram account in order to show up on the list.
    • Tap "+ Follow All" to follow all of your contacts with Instagram accounts, or tap the "+ Follow" next to each individual contact you want to add.
  5. Browse Instagram suggested people. Instagram will display people you may be interested in following in your Home tab. These recommendations are based on what's popular and who you are currently following. Tap the "View All" button next to "Suggestions for You" and scroll down to see all of the suggestions.
  6. Search for users to add. If you know the name or Instagram username for someone that you want to follow, you can search for them by tapping the "Search" tab. It looks like a magnifying glass.[3]
    • You can only search by Instagram username or the user's profile name. If you're searching for someone by their real name, you'll likely find more than one person that matches.
  7. Browse through the hashtags to find interesting users to follow. Hashtags are ways that users categorize their Instagram pictures. you can search by hashtags to find pictures and users that interest you.
    • Tap the Search tab and then tap the Search bar at the top of the screen.
    • Select "Hashtags" as your search target and enter in a one-word description for one of your interests.
    • Related hashtags will appear in the results list, along with the number of pictures that have that hashtag.
    • Tap a photo from the results to open it. If you like the photo and want to see more from the same user, tap the user's profile name and then tap "+ Follow". You don't have to know someone to follow them. In fact, that's half the fun!
    • If the user's account is set to "Private", they will need to approve you following them before it takes effect.
  8. See what your followers are up to. As you add followers, you can keep tabs on new photos that they've uploaded by tapping the "Activity" tab. It looks like a heart in a speech bubble.
    • Tap the "Following" option. All of the recent activity from users you follow will be displayed in this section.
  9. Find famous people to follow. Instagram has a semi-hidden directory of many of its most notable users, including many popular celebrities and public figures.
    • Tap the "Profile" tab at the bottom of the Instagram screen. This looks like a silhouette of a person.
    • Tap the Gear button in the upper-right corner to open the Options menu.
    • Scroll down and tap "Help Center".
    • Search the Help Center for "notable users directory". Tap it in the list of search results.
    • Browse through the directory until you find a user you want to follow. Tap their user name to open their profile, and then tap the "Follow" button to begin following them.

Tips

  • If you would like to require authorization before other Instagram users can follow you and view your photos, tap the Profile tab, tap the Gear button, and then scroll down and toggle "Private Account" ON.

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Sources and Citations