How to See Who Recently Followed You or Someone Else on Instagram in 2023

Hey friend! Have you ever wondered if you could see who recently followed someone on Instagram? I get it – we‘re all curious to know who‘s joining our favorite influencers‘ follower lists and when.

As a social media expert and tech geek, I‘ll walk you through everything I‘ve learned about viewing recent Instagram followers. Let‘s unravel the mystery together!

Can You Actually See Who Recently Followed Someone on Instagram?

The short answer is: you can easily see your own recent followers, but not other people‘s. Bummer, I know!

Instagram shows your newest followers at the top of your follower list in chronological order. This helps you identify your new audience and engage with them. Pretty handy!

But for all other profiles, Instagram deliberately randomizes follower lists to prevent tracking. So you can‘t pinpoint new followers or view them in order of when they followed.

This wasn‘t always the case. Up until mid-2021, you could scroll down on any user‘s followers list on the Instagram website to see their recent followers.

But due to concerns about potential stalking and data scraping, Instagram removed this viewing capability. Now all follower lists except your own are jumbled randomly.

Why Did Instagram Get Rid of The Recent Followers Feature?

According to Instagram‘s Adam Mosseri, the change aimed to "[limit the ability for users to scrape information, target harass others, or attempt to compromise their accounts."

By removing the recent follower viewing capability, Instagram prevents:

Stalking – People obsessing over an ex‘s new followers after a breakup
Scraping – Third-party apps harvesting follower data
Harassment – Bullies targeting those who recently followed someone

Mosseri said these protective measures align with Instagram‘s focus on user privacy and safety. Even if it bums us out a little!

Clever Ways People Try to View Recent Followers

You might be wondering – is there any sneaky way left to see who recently followed someone else on Instagram?

The short answer is no. But some folks get creative in their attempts:

Follower trackers – Paid third-party apps like Follower Insight and Snoopreport claim to record follower list changes over time. But they require the target user‘s login credentials, raising legal concerns over hacking and privacy violations.
Engagement tracking – You can look for accounts commenting on the user‘s recent posts. These are likely to be new followers engaging with content. However, loyal longtime followers also comment, so it‘s an unreliable method.
Asking around – Leveraging mutual connections who may be able to see new followers you can‘t. But this involves getting others to participate in shady activity.
Fake follower accounts – Creating a dummy account solely to follow someone and monitor their list for changes. Super sketchy, and against Instagram‘s rules.
Hacking – Actually illegally accessing someone‘s account to view private data. Absolutely never do this!

As you can see, none of these tactics are guaranteed, ethical, or advisable. I don‘t recommend attempting them.

Instagram deliberately closed off access to recent followers to protect user privacy. It‘s best to respect people‘s boundaries and stop caring about who starts following them.

Focus on Your Own Followers Instead!

Rather than obsessing over other people‘s followers, it‘s healthier to focus on cultivating your own follower community!

Here are some tips:

Engage, engage, engage! Comment on their posts, reply to DMs, and interact with their Stories. Build real relationships.
Offer value. Share useful, entertaining, or inspiring content consistently. Give your followers a reason to be here.
Run contests. Fun giveaways or competitions will excite existing followers and help attract new ones.
Optimize hashtags. Use relevant hashtags so your content appears in keyword searches.
Collaborate. Partner with influencers in your niche to tap into each other‘s audiences.
Analyze insights. Check your Instagram analytics to see your top locations, demographics, posting times, and more. Then refine your content strategy to appeal to your key fan bases.
Get featured. Getting reposted by a large account or featured on a relevant hashtag page gives huge visibility.

See? You have all you need to grow and engage your own followers. They‘re more valuable than gawking at other people‘s lists!

Let‘s Get Into The Details: Recent Followers FAQs

I get it – you might still be wondering about the specifics of how Instagram organizers followers. Let me see if I can answer some common questions:

Are My Instagram Followers in Chronological Order?

Yep! When you view your own follower list, the users are displayed from most recent to oldest follow date. This lets you easily see new followers first.

Why Doesn‘t Instagram Show All My Followers?

For accounts with a massive follower count, Instagram will only display a randomized portion of the list at once. This is to optimize performance.

But don‘t worry – you can see your full list of followers in chronological order by viewing your profile on a desktop browser.

How Often Does The Follower List Update?

Your own follower list updates in real-time as you gain or lose followers. You‘ll see new followers appear at the top instantaneously.

For all other profiles, Instagram reshuffles and randomizes the follower list periodically. There‘s no set update schedule.

Can I See Who Unfollowed Me on Instagram?

Not directly. But third-party apps like Crowdfire claim they can track your lost followers. This requires you to provide your login though, which gives me hacker vibes. Tread carefully!

Does Instagram Notify You When You Gain Followers?

Yep! When someone new follows you, you‘ll get a push notification on your phone plus a notification banner in your Instagram feed. Pretty cool to watch the fanbase grow!

Can You View Private Account Followers on Instagram?

Unfortunately, no. If someone has a private Instagram account, you can‘t see any of their followers unless you also follow that user. Their follower number will also be hidden.

Is There Any Way to See Who Someone Recently Followed?

Nope! Just like with followers, the "Following" list is randomized so you can‘t identify new follows. Gotta respect people‘s privacy.

Can I See Who Someone Follows on Instagram?

You can only view who a public account follows. For private profiles, the following list is hidden from you.

But remember – even with public accounts, you can‘t see recent follows since the list randomizes.

Key Takeaways: Viewing Recent Instagram Followers in 2023

Let‘s recap the key facts:

You can see your own recent followers in chronological order, but no one else‘s.
Instagram used to let you view any user‘s recent followers, but removed the capability in 2021.
All follower lists are now randomized except your own to prevent tracking.
Don‘t use sketchy third-party tracking apps or unethical hacking tricks. Focus on your real fans instead!
Like your content, engage with your followers, and optimize your profile to organically grow your audience.

I hope this guide gave you some clarity on how Instagram organizes followers in 2023! While you can‘t creep on other people‘s new followers, you have all the tools to cultivate your own loyal fanbase.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m happy to help you out as both a social media expert and a tech geek at heart. Chat soon!