Let’s face it. Social media has become an integral and major part of our daily lives. We use it to connect with friends and family, share our experiences, and even follow our favorite celebrities. So, it’s no wonder to think about whether to follow your crush on Instagram; in fact, most of us must have struggled with this question at some point in our lives.
But there is no need to worry as we help you make the right move. By the end of this article, you don’t need to second guess anymore, and you will do what you need to do.
Should I Follow My Crush On Instagram?
To be honest, we cannot generalize this question, so there is no universal answer. It all depends on various factors, but that doesn’t mean we will leave you in a dilemma.
Although following your crush on Instagram can be a great way to get to know them better, you will have access to their photos, interests, and daily activities. Liking or commenting on their posts, you can catch their attention and potentially start a conversation.
But on the other hand, following your crush on social media can also lead to over-analyzing every situation and every post they make. You can interpret a simple like or comment as a sign of interest when it does not mean anything.
Following them may help you to know them more, as it is a good way to keep up with what your crush is doing! It can also give them a sense that you like them, and they may follow you back, and once this happens, you’ll have a brand-new channel to flirt with your crush and get to know him better. But it would be best to consider a few things before hitting that “follow” button.
7 Reasons You Should Follow Your Crush On Instagram
Here we will provide you with some situations, and if you can relate to most of these things, then it’s fine to click that “follow” button.
1) You Already Know Each Other In Real Life:
If you have met in real life and already know each other, there is nothing wrong with adding them on Instagram or any other social media. As you are already a familiar person, you won’t come across as a stalker when you send a follow request, even if their account is private.
You don’t need to be good friends, but if you are at least aware of each other’s existence, sending a follow request shouldn’t be a problem.
It’s not abnormal to send requests as there are chances of appearing in their profile in suggestions (if you two already have mutual friends) or you are just expanding your connections.
If you are not sure whether they can recognize you, it can be because you don’t have your profile pic, or you have a different username (other than your name), or when your account is private, you can slide into their DM’s and can remind them who you are while sending the request.
2) You Have Mutual Friends:
If you two have a bunch of mutual friends, then it will be even smoother for you as you can easily send them a request without any doubt. It doesn’t matter, even if you don’t know many of these people in person. Your crush will likely accept your request and even follow you back when the number of mutual friends is high.
Sometimes, they may assume they know you but can’t remember you clearly. The better the chances are when these mutual friends are connected somehow (like college mates etc.).
Tip: If you are trying to follow someone you don’t know in person, try to follow some of their friends (followers) first. Some of them may accept you, and it will give your crush a better first impression when they get your request.
3) You Know They Stalk Your Profile As Well:
Some people may watch your stories and even slide into your DM’s out of the blue, but they won’t try following you. It happens when your account is public, and they can see and do everything without following you.
This can be because they are obsessed with the number of people they are following, or they’re scared that you might not send them a follow back, or they just have the policy of not following anyone first. These may sound silly, but your crush is also a human and comes with their own vices. You need to accept it and try to be braver than them.
Make the first move and hit that follow button on Instagram. The worst that can happen is you won’t get a follow back. But if you don’t, you will regret more in the future for the things you didn’t do.
4) You Already Follow Each Other On Other Social Media Networks:
If you two are already friends on other social media networks, like Facebook, Snapchat, or TikTok, then there is no harm in adding them on Instagram too. It is easy to get accepted or followed back as you are already doing the same on other networks.
But this can be bad news. It can mean they don’t feel the same for you; otherwise, they would have followed you ages ago. However, don’t get disappointed as the situation can change in the future.
Tip: Create a good profile on Instagram first before sending any request. Add your best-looking photos and other moments from your life so that they find it interesting, and swipe through your profile.
5) They Have Asked For Your Instagram:
If your crush has already asked for your Instagram username in real life or on social media platforms but didn’t send you a request, you can send it after waiting some time.
It is recommended that you should wait for a request from them because they are the ones who brought the subject up. But if you are too impatient to wait, you can be the first to follow them.
It won’t look desperate, so don’t worry about that. On the other hand, it shows that you are no drama person and are not in the mood for any mind games.
6) They Mentioned About Their Instagram Account:
When your crush mentioned their social media profile (probably Instagram) when you were talking, you can take it as an indirect invitation and send a follow request. If they said anything like, ‘I captured some amazing pics on my last vacation and posted them on insta,’ or when they asked for your advice for some caption while posting it, you can take it as a sign.
Obviously, they are beating around the bush because they are too shy to ask for your Insta profile directly or to follow you first. So, you can show them that you are open and confident by taking the lead by following them first. Being initiative is always a good sign.
7) Your Gut Feeling Tells You So:
If this conflict is too confusing and haunts you everywhere, no matter what you do, and your friends give mixed responses when you ask them for advice, it can make you feel restless.
You toss coins and look for signs that they like you too, but despite everything, you can’t come up with a conclusive answer. The moment you try to hit that follow button, something inside you will stop you from doing by giving some doubt. But also, when you think of giving up on the idea, a tiny voice from the back of your head will tell you to just do it.
It’s your gut feeling telling you to do it. You should follow your intuition as it can rarely be wrong. You only get what you want by taking risks and doing things you didn’t do before.
Also Read: How To Tell An Older Woman You Want Her?
Remember that we cannot expect different results by doing the same things.
You won’t lose your dignity just because you followed someone who didn’t follow you. Remember that it’s the virtual world, not real life. So, it’s not like someone shut the door on your face in real life. After ten or twenty years, these all look silly to you and may even look less important. So, just take your chances and live your life.
Reasons You Should Not Follow Your Crush On Instagram:
1) They Have No Idea Who You Are:
If this person is completely unaware of your existence, doesn’t know who you are, and you two don’t even have any mutual friends, then expecting a follow back from your crush is too much. They may not take you seriously, considering you are just another stalker or someone who wants to sell something or who follows random people just to get ‘follow backs’ just to increase self-followers.
2) Their Profile Is Private:
According to statistics, many people’s profiles are public, but when somebody marks their account as private, they don’t want everyone to have an insight into their lives. They don’t like to entertain the idea of their ex trying to stalk their profile or some unknown person going through their photos which might have included their family members.
Sending a follow request to a private account is risking your request being denied, especially when your profile is private too.
3) They Don’t Have A Lot Of Followers:
If your crush already has heaps of followers (on Instagram), following them is pretty low risk in the scheme of things. But if this person has very few followers and when they are following exactly the same number of people following them, it means that the person is very private.
We can easily interpret this kind of Instagram behavior as they are very private and use Instagram only to stay in touch with their friends and family. They may not follow a new and unknown person. Just understand when they don’t even follow their favorite celebrity, why would they follow a stranger (you)?
4) They Are Already In A Relationship:
You have no business with them if they are already in a serious and committed relationship. Of course, they are allowed to have friends outside of the relationship, too, but we know you are not trying to be their friend. As we are talking about your crush, your primary goal is to make your crush like you back.
Don’t follow them if they are in a relationship because it’s unfair to their partner. Just imagine how you would feel if someone were chasing after your boyfriend/ girlfriend. You don’t enjoy it, right? Even if you succeeded in hitting on someone involved in a serious relationship and made them cheat on their partner, what will that tell you about them? Who can vouch that they won’t do the same to you?
We advise you to stay away from someone in a relationship, at least until they break up with their current partner.
5) You’ve Already Tried Following Them, And It Didn’t End Well:
If you have already tried following them, but it didn’t end well, don’t repeat it. Don’t even consider it, as you will only come out as a stalker and desperate person who is begging for attention and acceptance.
When they decline your request or refuse to follow you back, get the message and act wisely. Don’t degrade your self-esteem with false hopes. You may try to defend yourself for their action by telling various reasons, but you know the truth deep inside. Never try to waste your feeling on someone who doesn’t treat you special.
Also, when things don’t work out between you and your crush, seeing constant updates from them on social media can only make it harder for you to move on. It’s important to consider whether following them will benefit or harm your emotional well-being before hitting that “follow” button.
How To Get Your Crush To Follow You On Instagram
You can follow this step-by-step guide to get your crush’s attention and make them follow you quickly.
1) Watch Their Stories:
Even if you don’t follow your crush, you can watch their stories if their accounts are private. Just don’t watch every story of them, and don’t watch it the minute they post one. If you do it, you will look desperate and obsessed.
You can make them aware of their presence by watching their stories occasionally. Doing this lets you catch their attention and make them wonder who you are.
2) Send Appropriate Replies and Reactions:
Another tip to get your crush’s attention on Instagram is to send replies to their stories. You can also participate in their quizzes, but you better send a couple of reactions before that. Only do it occasionally, and come up with witty responses when you do. Or else you will portray yourself as a boring stalker.
So, send relevant memes or emojis initially, as they can act as amazing conversation starters. Also, it is the safest way to start if you’re too shy to text him. If your crush finds you attractive or funny, they will reply, and you two can start texting.
3) Like Some Of Their Old Pics:
You may be urged to like your crush’s new photo as soon as they post it. But don’t do it. As they probably get many likes for their new photo, they may not notice you, and ‘your like’ will likely get lost among the others.
Instead, you can do two things. You can wait a couple of days to get this photo to become old and like it so that your notification will be the only one then. Also, you won’t give the impression that you spend all of your free time refreshing their page and waiting for some kind of update.
On the other hand, if they are not posting anything new, you can randomly like some of their old pics. But be careful that you do not like too many pics. Just a couple will do and be sure to like the ones with the least reactions.
4) Build A Decent Profile And Make It Public:
Statistics say that most Instagram users will check out their new followers’ profiles when they first receive a notification. Therefore, it is important to ensure you have plenty of photos uploaded that highlight how attractive and interesting you are before you begin following your crush on Instagram.
So upload some stunning and interesting photos to catch your crush’s attention. See it as a way to show your crush all the good things about you. When they first notice that you’re following them, the first thing they will probably do is scroll through all your Instagram photos. If they like what they see, they are pretty much guaranteed to follow you back.
If you don’t have enough photos and insights about your life, they won’t find you interesting, and all your efforts may come to nothing. We advise you to make your profile public with some interesting photos so that it’s easier for them to get to know you and follow you if they want to.
5) Use Your Mutual Friends As Your Wingman:
You can have a little advantage if you have many mutual friends. If you are close to some of them, you can use them to get featured in their stories. Your crush will see you if you can manage to be in one of their mutual friends’ photos or stories.
When they see you multiple times on their feed, they will start thinking of you and probably get curious to know who you are.
Also, comment on photos of your mutual friends when they post a new one on Instagram. You can write something about how you miss them or compliment that friend, but something over the top. So it can be more noticeable and give the impression that you two are close.
Note: Do it only with people if you like in person. Don’t mess with the people you’re not a fan of.
But why is that important? Because your crush may see it. And then, he will be curious and want to check your IG profile.
7) Share Their Interests:
When they get curious and open your profile, they would feel connected if you had posted similar photos, followed similar profiles, or shared similar interests.
Also, there is another little technical secret here. Instagram has various algorithms, some of which connect people with similar interests. You can try following the pages they follow, posting similar music to what they post, and even visiting the same locations they visit.
When you do such things, Instagram will likely suggest you as a friend to your crush. And when they open your profile, they will see all your shared interests and may assume that you are their soulmate.
8) Tease Them With Your Photos:
Once you are sure that your crush can see your profile, it’s time to start teasing them with selfies and posts.
Don’t post every bit of nonsense that pops into your mind. Just keep calm and make sure that your photos/selfies are attached with suitable and amazing captions. Also, remember that they will most likely see your feed than your Instagram stories, so post all the best pictures on your feed.
Don’t be the same as everyone else. Endlessly posting stories from the vacation you’ve been on a few years ago, sharing daily selfies (which are all practically the same), or posting so many random things will make you look boring. Instead, try to share unique things like your favorite hobby, graduation ceremony, or latest project – whatever can show your crush how unique and interesting you are.
9) Be Yourself:
Always be yourself. Don’t post something you’re not interested in just to grab their attention. Using these tricks is okay, but always show who you really are because that’s the whole point.
Just a word of caution: Even though you are the first to see their new post, don’t always be the first “like” they get. Balance it. Be the first, then the last, but make sure your name will always be there in their notifications. Then if they like a few of your posts, consider commenting on his next post. That’s how you’ll surprise them and be on their mind all day.
Summing Up:
In the age of social media, it is really difficult to navigate the complexities of relationships, and following your crush on Instagram can be a great way to stay up-to-date on their activities and interests – but also it could become an unhealthy obsession which can lead to unnecessary stress and anxiety in trying to decipher their intentions.
We should keep in mind that social media can create a distorted version of reality. What we see on someone’s profile is often just an edited version of their life and may not necessarily reflect who they are in real life. So, before making any rash decisions about whether or not to follow your crush on Instagram, take some time to evaluate why you want to follow them and what impact this can have on your mental health.
You need to understand that you will follow a temptation by doing this same action. There is a clear difference between ethical following and weird stalking on Instagram. If your crush feels you are stalking them, the consequences might differ from expectations.
Nothing is worse than crushing on someone and having no idea how to reach out to them. Also, think about how you would feel if they didn’t follow you back or, worse yet, declined your request.
To conclude, asking whether to follow your crush or not on Instagram is a difficult question to answer without knowing more about your relationship with your crush and your reasons for wanting to follow them on Instagram. The best way to show interest in someone is to interact with them directly – letting them know you exist and are interested in getting to know them better.
Nothing beats meet-ups in real life. Refrain from succumbing to the virtual world.
