Instagram, the name is synonymous with the whole social media frenzy. Arguably, it is one of the most used social interaction platforms across the entire range including some of the toughest competitors. For the minority group who isn’t aware of Instagram, the revolutionary application, we are here to cover your basics and answer the million-dollar question: Does Instagram notify you when you screenshot a post?
First, let’s get some facts straight about Instagram
As the name probably gives away, Instagram is a quick video and image-sharing application that has evolved over the years driven by changing consumer preferences and consumption patterns. For instance, when introduced in 2010, almost a decade ago, the app was meant only for sharing pictures, and one could show appreciation for the photo by hitting the like button. But gone are the days, when it was only about sharing photos.
As we can currently see, accept it or not, it has become more than an image-sharing app. It is a place to create videos, share ideas, propagate knowledgeable information, and have conversations and discussions via the comments or personal message section. Instagram is an excellent marketing tool for companies as the reach of the app is unbeatable.
Not only do brands use it as an advertisement tool, but you will also probably find all world-renowned personalities from fields like sports, entertainment, and even politics on the application. That’s how important Instagram is in the current digital world.
Here are some facts about Instagram that will surely blow your mind:
- Almost 60% of the people who have access to the internet have an account on Instagram
- The average age group of the majority of Instagram users is between 18 and 29 years
- As per some studies, in case you want to have maximum engagement on the next post you are thinking of uploading, upload it at 5 pm on a Wednesday
- Since its launch, more than 39 billion photos have been shared on the app
- The most widely used hashtags on the app are ‘success’, ‘entrepreneur’, ‘tagforlikes’, ‘tbt’, and ‘fashion’ amongst many more
These are some numeric information but something we must think about is the kind of employment Instagram has managed to generate. It is a space for artists to share their creations without the need for any agency or a middleman.
For instance, in 2020, brand-related Instagram posts reached around USD 6.12 million. As per estimates, the world currently has somewhere between 3 million to 40 million influencers across platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
But obviously like every coin has a flip side, so does the app.
Many studies have concluded that due to the excessive use of filters on the app, along with sending out tailored or edited information like photos and videos, a large segment of the end-users is known to face conditions like body-image issues, social anxiety, depression, cyberbullying, and invasion of privacy. The last point is where our discussion for today, hits the right spot; does Instagram notify you when you screenshot a post?
There is some confusion related to the answer to this question and rightly so. The only authority to blame for the confusion is Instagram itself. You are probably wondering how.
It is important to first understand what does it even mean to send a notification when a screenshot is taken?
Basically, it is one of the features of another popular social media platform which is Snapchat. Where if you screenshot the picture sent to you from another user, Snapchat immediately notifies you that the image sent was screenshotted by you. Snapchat uses this feature to prevent the user from privacy invasion and make the app safer.
So what is the reason for the confusion? Well somewhere in between Instagram rolled out the same feature for Instagram users. But because the app has now become a popular marketing tool and is no longer a private photo-sharing app, the feature was highly criticized in the Instagram community forcing the company to roll back the feature.
The direct answer to the question of Instagram notifying when a screenshot is taken is no, they do not. (Sigh of relief!)
There is no way Instagram will send any notification to the sender of the image or to the person who has posted the reel, photos, or story. However, do not get too confident because there is a catch, and a big one.
As stated before, Instagram is also used for its messaging service. A lot of us use it because it becomes easier to share a reel and discuss it on the app itself. In the Instagram messaging part, if you are sending a message or a photo by clicking on the camera icon at the bottom left corner, then you have to be careful when doing so.
Why, you ask, Well because, when sending the picture using this method, Instagram will provide you with three option
- Allow Replay: If you select this, the receiver can replay the picture or video sent
- Keep in Chat: With this option, the sent information remains in the chat until manually deleted
- View Once: This is where the policies change because any action with this type of image will notify the sender
Let’s get to the bottom of this, if a sender sends any picture using the ‘View Once’ option and a screenshot is taken, the sender is immediately sent a notification. Yes, you read it right. This is the only action on Instagram that gets notified. This is because the ‘View Once’ option would not make any sense if the picture is screenshotted and then viewed multiple times. With this option, Instagram maintains the unintentional request for the privacy of its user.
Conclusion
With this, we hope to have answered your million-dollar question; does Instagram notify you when you screenshot a post? Simply put, the answer remains No but remember that the ‘View Once’ sending option will notify the person. Hence it is important to maintain the faith of the person who is sending you the image or the post and act as a responsible internet user.
