It finally happened - a couple who'd been together since high school got engaged. You're not really close to either of them, but you and your hometown bestie have been supporting the couple from afar for years, and that ring photo on Instagram is sure to be trending in group chats for weeks. You decide to send the photo via Instagram direct message instead of taking a screenshot, but once you hit send, a creepy thought crosses your mind: Will Instagram notify the other person when you send their Grid post in a private message?
We've all wondered if Instagram would betray you for taking a screenshot of someone's Story, if it would be possible to screenshot a Direct Message without alerting the other person, or even if there was a way to view Stories anonymously. But you may not have considered the platform’s stance on notifying users after a post is sent in a private message. There's no need to panic, though, as sending posts to nosy friends isn't as dangerous as it seems. According to TechZillo, Instagram does not alert users when their posts are sent as DMs.
While it's nice to know that you'll be fine the next time you hit "send" on a DM post, it's not so comforting to know that you can't see when your post was shared... or by whom. . Think about it: If you're engaged, you're probably wondering whether your sincere statement is being passed around like a funny piece of gossip among all the cliques you had in high school.
Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon, because as TechZillo points out, allowing people to see who sent a post could be considered a violation of the sender's privacy. You can always make your account private to prevent your photos from being circulated, as users who don't follow you won't be able to view your content, even if it's DMed to them by someone who follows you.
Keep in mind that if you send a DM to someone who doesn't follow them, but likes or even comments on the post anyway, the original poster may be able to indirectly track the DM sent back to you. They can do this by clicking on the unknown user's IG account and seeing who their common followers are, and your name will automatically be added to a short list of potential posters. So in theory you could be caught red-handed from the elimination process.
Business accounts can also use analytics to see how many times a post has been shared, but the statistics won't reveal which accounts have shared your content. However, if you want to play 100% safe, you can always use reliable screenshots - that way, if the original poster has a private account, you can still give your friends tea.
