
Many of us have online friends with whom we regularly interact in the digital space. Because of the many points of interaction, social media has reached a point where you can feel the presence of people, even without talking or texting with them. But has this ever happened to you, that one day, someone’s living your posts on Instagram, and the next, there’s radio silence? Their social accounts are nowhere to be found, and you have no way of knowing what happened to them.
Could they deactivate their Instagram account, delete it, or perhaps block you? It’s natural to want to know. Now, there is no definite way of saying what happened to someone’s account without asking them. Meta takes enough precautions to prevent that from happening. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make educated guesses.
What Are The Signs That Someone Has Deactivated Their Instagram Account?
Deactivating Instagram is like hitting the pause button. We get it. Sometimes, you need a social detox. And deactivating is temporary, so you can be away, limit all interactions, and disappear for a while. And when you want to come back, your data is there. If someone deactivates their Instagram account, they may be back. But how do you identify a deactivated account?
Profile Search
If you search for their username and it doesn’t appear in the results, they might have deactivated their account. However, this could also mean they’ve changed their username or blocked you.
Direct Messages (DMs)
Navigate to your DMs with the person. If their profile picture is missing, their username is replaced with “Instagram User,” and you can’t view their profile from the chat, it’s a strong indicator they’ve deactivated their account.
Comments and Likes
Their previous comments and likes on your posts may disappear. However, their likes and comments will still appear as numbers on the counter. But you won’t be able to see their name on the likes, and their comments won’t be visible to you.
Differences Between Deactivated, Deleted, and Blocked Accounts
It’s easy to confuse a deactivated account with one that’s been deleted or if you’ve been blocked. Here’s how to tell the difference:
The profile is hidden on deactivated accounts. So, if you search for their account, their profile will not be found at all. If you check your DMs to access previous texts with them, they will still be there, but their username may be replaced with “Instagram user.”
Their likes, comments, and tags may disappear, but on numbers, they would still show up. So, for example, if you have 15 likes on a post, and one of the people who liked it deactivates their account, you would still have 15 likes on the post, but their name would not show up on the list.
Now differentiating between a deactivated account and a deleted account is a bit hard. The profiles are permanently gone. So if you search for their account, the profiles will not be found. Same as it is when deactivated.
However, if you have exchanged messages with them, you may still find the message thread, but their texts will be empty. You will only be able to see the messages you have sent. Moreover, if they have liked or commented on any of your posts, their likes and comments will completely disappear. And they won’t be counted either. So that 15 likes, we talked about earlier, will become 14 likes.
If you’re blocked by a user, you can still search for their accounts. But you may be able to find their accounts instead of nothing. However, you will see a message like “User not found” or “This page is not available.”
The chats will still be there with profile picture, but you won’t be able to send any more texts. Their interactions of your profile will still be visible to you, but you won’t be able to interact further. You can however, choose to delete their comments and remove yourself from tagged photos.
How to Confirm If You’ve Been Blocked?
So you think you’ve been blocked but you’re not sure how to confirm it. Well, there are a few dead giveaways and a few more ways to find out.
- If you search for their profiles by usernames, they may appear. However, on their account, you may find messages like “User not found” or “This page is not available.”
- You won’t be able to DM them, but if you have exchanged messages with them before, the thread should still show their profile picture. And their username should be visible to.
- You can check their profile through a mutual friend’s account. If the profile is visible to them but not to you, it’s likely you’ve been blocked. This is probably the most definite way of finding out.
- Use a web browser to visit their profile URL (e.g. instagram.com/username) without logging in. If you see their profile, then they may have blocked you.
- You can use another Instagram account to see if you can find them. However, Instagram can see multiple accounts being opened of accessed from the same IP, and using account center, it can keep track of users with multiple accounts. So if the person opted for the option that blocks you and all the accounts you may have or will create, then this won’t work.
How to Block Someone on Instagram?
Blocking is a straightforward process to cut ties with someone on Instagram. If you’re being annoyed or bullied by someone, or you wanna stop someone from finding you, blocking is an easy and effective way.
- Open the Instagram app.
- Use the search function from the bottom bar to find the user.
- Tap the three dots in the top-right corner of their profile.
- Confirm your decision in the prompt.
- You can also block any other accounts the user may create from the same IP or account centre.
Blocking makes sure that the other person cannot view your profile, posts, and stories. They also cannot message you. Moreover, they won’t be notified of the action.
Managing Your Own Account Visibility
Sometimes, you may need a break, or you may want to leave Instagram permanently. Whichever one it is, you can either choose to deactivate your Instagram account temporarily or delete it completely.
Deactivate Your Account:
If you deactivate your Instagram account, your profile becomes hidden, but you can reactivate it by logging back in. However, you must do it from a web browser. Here’s how you do it:
- Open Instagram on a website.
- Go to your profile by tapping your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner to open more options.
- Navigate to Accounts Center and select Personal Details.
- Choose Account Ownership and Control,
- Then tap Deactivation.
- Select the account you want to deactivate.
- Tap Deactivate Account and then Continue.
- You might need to provide a reason for deactivating your account.
Deleting Your Account:
Deleting your account is permanent. You won’t be able to get it back. However, Instagram does give you a 30-day grace period.
- Open a web browser and go to Instagram.
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner to access your profile.
- Tap the three lines (hamburger menu) in the top-right corner for additional options.
- Go to Accounts Center, then select Personal Details.
- Tap Account Ownership and Control.
- Choose delete.
- Choose the account you want to delete.
- Tap Delete Account, then tap Continue.
- You may be asked to provide a reason for deleting your account.
It’s a good idea to put in a request to download all your data before deactivating.
Wrapping Up
Let’s be real here, Instagram can be a lot. Whether you’re trying to figure out why someone disappeared from your feed, avoiding drama by blocking someone, or taking a break yourself, knowing how to smartly navigate these situations is the key.
If someone deactivates their account, it’s probably just a social detox, and they’ll likely be back when they’re ready. A deleted account, though? That’s goodbye forever. And if you’re blocked? Well, maybe it’s time to let it go.
On the other hand, if you’re the one who needs some space, deactivating gives you a break, and deleting is if you’re ready to move on for good. Either way, Instagram gives you the tools to do it your way, and that’s the best part. So take a minute, set those boundaries, and keep your digital space just how you like it. After all, social media should work for you and not the other way around.
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