The close friends story: a respite from Instagram’s all-seeing eye
Is this exclusive club a safer way to share?
Getting added to someone’s close friends story on Instagram doesn’t mean you’re close friends. But the first time a green circle appears around someone’s profile picture, it’s a sign you’ve been granted access to an exclusive corner of their internet life.
The “close friends list” is an Instagram feature that allows users to add select accounts that follow them to a list. Users can then post content, typically Instagram stories, that can only be seen by accounts they’ve added to that list.
For Taylor Gage, a first-year student at the University of King’s College, it’s all about comfort.
“I add [people] to my close friends story when I feel [they have] a level of understanding of my humour, and that whatever I share on there, I won’t be judged,” she says.
From the user’s perspective, the close friends feature offers a safer way to share.
Binod Sundararajan, a management professor at Dalhousie University who researches social media, says users who narrow down their online networks to a select group protect themselves from the threat of negative perceptions or reactions.
“The close friends feature provides a psychological safety bubble,” says Sundararajan. “People are constantly afraid of making a fool of themselves outside the bubble.”
But why would Instagram introduce a feature intended to limit the number of eyes on posts when maximizing likes and comments is the name of the game?
Sundararajan says it’s not Instagram’s benevolence that pushed them to create more psychologically secure posting options. Instead, he says it’s about creating more consistent posters, increasing overall engagement and making Instagram money.
“You can create content that could be anything,” he says. “Unbeknownst to them, the close friends feature could make even people who aren’t active content creators or active influencers become that.”
Whether they’re scrolling through reels or tapping through close friends’ stories, users are on the app. When they’re on the app, they’re seeing ads. When they’re seeing ads, Instagram is making money.
Regardless of its corporate origins, the close friends story offers users a sense of security and control. It also restores a certain genuineness to a platform that’s become overrun by perfectly curated photo dumps and carefully selected song choices.
“Instagram feels devoid of genuineness in general,” says Manaal Hashmi, a third-year computer science student at Dal. “That’s the culture and atmosphere. It feels nice to not care about what you post on it.”
