Instagram is now a global social hub rather than just a photo-sharing app. It links billions of users worldwide, including coworkers, family, college friends, and celebrities. And one of its most intriguing—and occasionally unexpected—features? Instagram’s soft reminder, “Who you might know is on Instagram.”
Instagram seems to be reading your thoughts with this feature, which can make it feel strangely personal. However, it’s not magic; rather, it’s an algorithm that silently connects you with people who are already in your offline life.
How Instagram Knows Who You Might Know
Instagram uses a number of data points to recommend users you might know. It’s not solely determined by your followers or contacts. The system’s depth can be unsettling at times. The main sources Instagram uses to make educated guesses about people you might know are broken down below.
Let’s examine these sources in more detail using this comparison table:
| Data Source | How It Helps Suggest Users | Privacy Level |
| Your Phone Contacts | Matches numbers/emails to user accounts | You must allow access |
| Facebook Friends | Cross-platform suggestions if accounts are linked | Optional linking |
| Shared Wi-Fi Networks | Suggests people you were near physically | Medium privacy impact |
| Common Followers | Friends of friends logic used to bridge new connections | Public data |
| Direct Messages (DMs) | Prior DM history helps in recognizing familiar contacts | Private but scanned |
| Tagged Photos and Mentions | If you’ve appeared in the same tag/photo, suggestions arise | Public/private mix |
Instagram is intelligent, perhaps too intelligent. If both of your phones were connected to the same public Wi-Fi, it might even recommend a person you passed at a coffee shop.
Why This Feature Is Useful – and Sometimes Awkward
Seeing someone you’ve lost contact with appear as a suggestion can occasionally be reassuring. Perhaps it’s a cousin you didn’t realize was active on the internet or an old high school classmate. Restoring those broken connections is facilitated by that gentle reminder. When it assists you in identifying a new Instagram user who wants to expand their network, it’s even better.
Conversely, Instagram’s recommendations may become a bit too intimate. It might allude to your ex. or your counselor. Or someone you interviewed for a job five years ago. It can be uncomfortable, perplexing, or even eerie.
How to Control Who You See (and Who Sees You)
You’re not totally helpless, which is good news. By adjusting a few settings, you can manage who Instagram recommends to you and who it recommends to you:
Disconnect Contacts
Go to Settings > Account > Contacts Syncing and turn off Instagram if you don’t want it to use your phonebook.
Make Your Account Private
Visibility is thus restricted. It helps limit exposure to strangers, but it won’t stop all suggestions.
Disconnect Your Facebook
Suggestions from your Facebook friends list are frequently used if Instagram is connected to Facebook.
To unlink, navigate to Settings > Accounts Center > Facebook Accounts.
Clear Search History
Suggestions are also influenced by your search and interaction patterns. For a new experience, remove that data.
Clear Search History under Settings > Security
Real-Life Examples of This Feature at Work
- Freelance designer Sophie was taken aback when a previous customer appeared. Although they shared numerous mutual followers and once responded to her Instagram Story, she never gave them her phone number.
- Marcus abruptly noticed that some of the regulars from the new gym were showing up on his suggested list after switching gyms. It turns out that Instagram was prompted to take action by the gym’s Wi-Fi.
- After their first date, the man on Priya’s suggested list showed up within a day. Neither had shared contact details. Unsettling? Perhaps. Once more, though, the match was facilitated by a shared location, shared interests, and possibly some digital breadcrumbs.
Should You Add Everyone Instagram Suggests?
No. You don’t have to follow every recommendation, even though Instagram may assume you know them.
Make the best decision you can. Perhaps don’t hit follow just yet if someone looks familiar but you can’t quite place them.
Or at the very least, look up context in their profile. Do they write about subjects that you find interesting? Do they even operate?
Instagram introduces it; you choose where it goes.
How to Appear on Someone Else’s “Who You Might Know”
Being recommended to others can be beneficial if you’re attempting to increase your visibility, develop your business, or establish your personal brand.
The following factors could make you more likely to catch someone else’s attention:
- Connect your Facebook profile.
- Participate in public discussions (likes, comments).
- Use your real name and a picture that people can recognize.
- Distribute engaging content to build algorithmic trust.
- Permit contact syncing, if you don’t mind.
When you act like a real person with active relationships, you become more suggestible.
Final Thoughts
Instagram’s “Who You Might Know” feature is both practical and unsettling. It serves as a reminder of how interconnected the digital and real worlds are. A quick remark, a mutual friend, or a visit to the coffee shop all add up.
It’s helpful to understand how these relationships are made, whether your goal is to expand your network or safeguard your privacy. Make good use of the feature and choose carefully who you allow access to.
FAQs
Q: Why does Instagram suggest people I barely know?
A: Instagram examines mutual followers, shared Wi-Fi, previous exchanges, and even oblique online hints. It’s possible that you have unknowingly crossed digital paths.
Q: Can I stop Instagram from showing me these suggestions?
A: By using a private account, unlinking Facebook, and disabling contact syncing, you can lessen them but not entirely eliminate them.
Q: Why did my ex show up in suggestions?
A: Instagram might believe that a connection is still relevant even if it isn’t if you have shared mutuals or had previous interactions.
Q: Does Instagram look through my direct messages to recommend users?
A: Not directly, but it might feed its recommendation algorithm with metadata from previous messages or interactions.
Q: Can I appear in someone’s suggestions without knowing?
A: In agreement. You may show up in their list if they uploaded contacts with your information or interacted with related content.
Q: How do I stop showing up on others’ suggested lists?
A: Limit public interactions, delete synced contacts, and make your account private.
Q: Are these suggestions based on stalking or spying?
A: Not precisely. Instagram makes use of the data at its disposal (contacts, interactions, locations). It’s algorithmic, not subjective.
