Come on… We’ve all been there before. Before, when you wanted to check up on a crush or an ex of yours but don’t want your name appearing in the “Seen” list, you would use some sketchy third-party site that accesses profiles or maybe you’ve used the risky “airplane mode” trick that has a possibility to backfire on you. Soon, that might be a thing of the past, thanks to Meta.
In a move to further diversify their revenue stream, Meta is now testing a new subscription service for Instagram that would give users added features over the standard app. It’s called Instagram Plus and it’s now being tested in select countries like Japan, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The Selling Point
What I think would probably be the selling point for the subscription is the ability to view Stories secretly. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t used Stories on Facebook or on Instagram, then you might’ve not known that when you view a friend’s story, your name and picture appear on the list of people who’ve viewed it.
That might be fine for most people but for people that don’t want the social awkwardness of being caught “lurking”, the tool could prove to be useful. Aside from secretly viewing stories, the subscription also gives the user the ability to see how much their story has been rewatched, find a specific user that viewed the story through viewer search, and keep a story live for longer than 24 hours.
More Than Just Lurking
Beyond the creeper features, Instagram Plus offers other features that could benefit content creators and social media managers. These features include:
- Unlimited Audience Lists – If there’s only particular people whom you want to share your Story with, Instagram Plus now gives you the ability to move beyond the “Close Friends” feature and create multiple groups that target only specific individuals.
- Superlikes – The subscription now brings a new kind of reaction, the Superlike.
- Story Spotlight – Is there a particular post that you want people to see? Well, now you can boost that weekly to increase its visibility to your followers.
How Much Does it Cost?
Should the offer appear on your app, you can avail of Instagram Plus for around ₱65 depending on the current exchange rate. However, for regions outside the Philippines, it can sometimes cost twice as much at $2.
Is It Worth It?
That depends… On one hand, it gives users much more control of their digital footprint, while on the other, it opens the risk of obsessive online behaviors and possible privacy risks if abused. One thing is clear, Meta is looking for new ways to monetize its massive user base.
There are still no official announcements from Meta regarding the subscription’s global rollout as it is still in its testing phase. Some of you might get the offer while most of you might not. So, it begs the question, would you pay 60 pesos a month to stalk people or is the “Seen” list a risk you’re willing to take?