Why We All Need to Stop Worrying About Who Watches Our Insta Stories
Insta stories have been quite the topic of conversation lately.
But instead of worrying about your IG aesthetic or how you can improve your stories, everyone has become pretty concerned about other people's activity on their Instagram. Particularly who is/isn't viewing their stories.
Now, I'm not saying I'm above this worry-driven trend. I have ex-best friends, ex-boyfriends, guys who ghosted me and people I've gotten in very strong verbal disagreements with all over my stories, and as soon as I see their name I start wondering about all their unspoken reasons for lurking on my Instagram.
But the thing is, who is watching or not watching your Instagram story, literally does not matter, and I'm here to tell you why. Keep scrolling for all the reasons we all need to stop worrying about who watches our Insta stories.
It Probably Has No Meaning
When you see someone who elicits an emotional response in you watching your Instagram story, you want to assign meaning to it. You want to believe that they're spending all their time thinking about you and that they relish this opportunity to have some form of contact with you, however impersonal it might be. But odds are, watching your Insta story likely has no meaning.
Think about how you approach Instagram. Personally, I open the app, skim through the latest posts and then click on the first story that appears next to my own. I'll then watch/swipe through multiple stories, as Instagram automatically clicks you through all available stories, until I get bored and close out of the app. Chances are, the person you're so stressed about is doing the exact same thing—mindlessly clicking through stories and potentially coming across yours in the process. If you both follow each other, it's really not that abnormal. There's no hidden meaning or secret message in their behavior, they're literally just using Instagram as intended, so why are we making it a much bigger deal than it actually is?
(Crazy Ex-Girlfriend via The CW)
It Won't Change Anything
Let's be generous and say that the person you're so stressed about is part of the 5% of the population who's actually watching your story for a reason. They make a pointed effort to watch everything you post, and they look for your name to appear every time they open the app. So what?
Watching someone's Instagram story is one of the most impersonal and meaningless ways to show them you care. All it does is show them what you're doing at a certain moment, which isn't special. You're literally telling every single one of your hundreds of Instagram followers what you're doing. Point being, someone simply watching your Instagram story isn't going to change anything about your relationship unless they do something about it. Freak out when they DM you, not when their name appears in a list of a hundred or more people.
(The Kissing Booth via Netflix)
It's Causing Unnecessary Stress
Now that we've established that watching your Insta story likely means nothing and won't change anything about your relationship, we get to the real reason we all need to stop worrying about it—because it causes unnecessary stress. We're spending tons of time reading into this minimal form of contact when the person who watched your story probably isn't even thinking twice about it.
What's worse, if you work yourself up enough about who's watching your story, it can lead to some pretty embarrassing reactions. Calling someone out or asking them to leave you alone for using Instagram as intended is not chill and ultimately reflects badly on you. Let go of your Insta story fears—they're honestly not worth any of the stress they're causing.
(Crazy Ex-Girlfriend via The CW)
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