When you post an Instagram Story, you usually expect the usual suspects to see it: your best friends, your family, the guy you went to high school with but haven't spoken to in 10 years, and all the girls you've seen in line Going to the bathroom is the #followback team. But if you've recently noticed some clearly inappropriate characters popping up in your viewers, you might be wondering why these bots are suddenly watching your IG Stories. While the exact cause is unclear, one theory circulating on TikTok makes sense.
If your Story has attracted a large number of fake accounts recently, it may not reflect the type of content you publish. This is also not necessarily a sign that someone is trying to attack you. However, it could mean that someone (or people ) is watching you from a distance, such as an ex or supervisor. According to TikTok by @hannahsocialfolk, the bot's Story views may be attributed to third-party websites that allow users to view Stories from accounts they don't own. Yes, there's a loophole that lets you watch someone's stories (almost) anonymously, which is handy if you want to check in on your coworkers every once in a while, but not so much if you're the one being checked convenient.
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People tend to use these sites when they want to view a story but don't want their name to appear in the Viewers section, and that's where sketchy bots come into play. If you're not sure if your story has been targeted, the creators explain that bots often have spammy or even sexually suggestive names. TikTokers also claim that these hidden viewers can download your Stories without your knowledge, which is honestly a little disturbing to think about.
In a follow-up video, @hannahsocialfolk clarified that just because you have multiple bots viewing your stories, it doesn't mean you have multiple "stalkers." It could just be one person viewing your story multiple times a day and appearing under multiple accounts, although I'm not sure if that's better. The creator also revealed that people you've blocked from viewing your Stories can still access 24-hour posts through these third-party sites, which is probably the scariest part of it all. It seems you can't stop this from happening either, because according to the creator, "You can't stop them because they're disguised."
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User @brittanymarzo admits she has had issues with bots spamming her page in the past, but they no longer lurk in her stories and instead interact with them. The creator said that while the bots initially made themselves famous by viewing her IG Stories, they eventually disappeared from the audience section and began making themselves famous by liking her stories. oops.
However, BuzzFeed News reports that there is no connection between the bots that like your stories and these third-party apps. A Meta spokesperson told the publication that the company blocks millions of spam accounts every day, saying: “We continue to invest in anti-spam technology and a safety and security team of more than 40,000 people who are focused on stopping spam. and other types of spam on our platform. "
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Keep in mind that you only run the risk of bots viewing your stories if you have a public Instagram account. If the idea of not knowing who is watching your stories makes you uncomfortable, you may want to consider switching to private. If this doesn't work for you, you can always choose to post anything you don't want your ex to see to close friends - just be careful who you add to the exclusive list.
