Skip to main content

That spike in Instagram followers you had is due to a bug, not newfound popularity

instagram hack old icon food headgear
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Did you notice a humongous spike in your Instagram follower count over the weekend? If so, we hate to be the bearer of bad news: The sudden increase wasn’t due to a cat photo you posted, but a bug that caused some users’ follower counts to go way up, according to The Independent. Instagram is aware of the situation, and once the bug is fixed, the user count should return to normal.

TechCrunch first learned of the issue on July 10, when a social media manager for celebrities informed the site of the anomaly. “Some of them had suddenly gained hundreds, thousands, and for the biggest stars like King Bach, as many as 100,00 new followers,” TechCrunch’s Josh Constine writes. “A search on Twitter showed many users with smaller followings also saw an instant increase over the last day or so. Some were confused about whether those were real people who followed them or if Instagram was hacked.”

Recommended Videos

Instagram users have encountered fluctuations in follower counts before. Previously, the company did a purge of the many spam accounts that used to plague its site, resulting in drops by as much as 15 percent. But what makes this latest follower-count change noteworthy and different – besides the number of consequently sad users who’ll see their follower counts go down – is that it wasn’t about removing bots and fake accounts. It appears to be the fault of a glitch in how the site counts follower numbers.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The reaction from users has been mixed, with some expressing initial, pleasant surprise, to confusion.

So, if you’re one of the users who found him or herself a bunch of new Instagram friends, enjoy your social media stardom while you can, because they are going away.

Marc Schenker
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Marc Schenker is a copywriter who's an expert in business and marketing topics like e-commerce, B2Bs, digital marketing and…
The new ways Meta will pay you to make content for Facebook and Instagram
facebook hacked

Creators on Facebook and Instagram will soon have more ways to generate revenue from their content.

On Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared via a Facebook post (and in a series of comments on that post), a few updates on monetization for creators on Facebook and Instagram. These updates included expansions to existing monetization options, as well as a few new ways to make money.

Read more
Instagram test lets you pin particular posts to your profile
3D Instagram icon.

Instagram is testing a new feature that would let you pin particular posts above the grid on your profile page.

Testing is currently limited to a select group of users on the platform. To see if you’re one of them, simply go to one of your posts, tap the three dots at the top right, and look for the message “pin to your profile” in the list of options.

Read more
Instagram Badges help creators to cash in on their followers
Instagram Badges shown on phone renders

Instagram Badges is a new feature on the social media app that's aimed at helping creators earn money through the app. Badges will let people show support to their favorite creator during a Live Video and allow creators to engage with their followers. The company first announced Badges in 2020, but it was only available for a select user base at the time.

Instagram Badges are now available in select regions, including the U.S., for users aged 18 and older. If you want to use the feature, you must have at least 10,000 followers.  If a follower purchases a Badge, heart(s) will be displayed next to their username in the Live Video. In the U.S., you can purchase multiple Badges, which range from $1 (one heart) to $5 (three hearts), with a $2 (two hearts) option in the middle.

Read more