Instagram has over 2 billion registered accounts, including individual and business pages. The social platform is one of the most-used apps for keeping your family & friends updated with your life through its feed and instant messaging platforms and for businesses to showcase their products and services. However, you might have unknowingly heard of the term “Spam” or had first-hand experience with it.
Generally, spam is an unsolicited message that could be anything from a supposed business offer to a raunch text from a total stranger. Spam doesn’t end there on Instagram; there are “spam accounts” that act like bots by immediately liking all your posts and dropping unsolicited links or texts in your DMs or comments.
In this article, we’ll see in detail what “spam” is, how to recognize a “spam message,” “spam account,” and how best to avoid them.
What Is “Spam” on Instagram?
Spam can occur differently on Instagram without users knowing what they’re doing is spam. The most common form of spamming is sending bulky unsolicited texts to an Instagram user you might not even be following. There can be an occasion when you have an important message to send, but Instagram will classify it as spam if you’re not mutual with the person.
This can also happen with a business page hoping to get an individual’s attention and sell their products. If the messages become frequent without a reply from the person you’re texting, it gets classified as spam. If you and the person you’re texting aren’t following each other, Instagram can keep your messages hidden as it’ll most likely classify them as spam.
However, spam does not only apply to messages, but they also apply to comments and likes. If you’ve encountered an account that instantly likes a post and drops a comment, it’s most likely a spam account. A more differentiated type of spam is when a user goes about commenting “I follow back” or the likes on popular pages in hopes of getting more followers.
Any actions discussed above are known as “spam” or “spamming” on Instagram. Suppose you’re trying to grow your account and behave as we described. In that case, your account will most likely be reported as spam because you keep dropping an unrelated unsolicited comment.
How To Recognize a Spam Message or Account on Instagram
A spam message comes in different variants. In most cases, you’ll find that they include written content telling you to click a link to claim a gift or listen to a song. These messages are usually from Ponzi schemers or upcoming artists wanting to sell their songs. Spam messages can also come in raunchy photos or sexually provocative messages from people wanting to sell adult content.
You can recognize a spam account by the actions already described above in how they automatically like and comment on your posts within seconds of posting. If you also see an account that comments “I follow back” or a tailored message advertising something, it’s probably a spam account.
A spam account can be operated by either a person or a robot. A robot is the one with the capability to automate messages, likes, and comments on other users’ posts and DMs.
When you check the profile of most spam accounts, you see them with generic descriptions in their bio, random followers & following with more generic bios, and the account was only recently created.
There are spam accounts everywhere on Instagram, and there’s every possibility you run into one. Stay safe when browsing on Instagram and be critical about the links you want to click.
How Do You Avoid a Spam Account?
There’s almost no way to avoid a spam account on Instagram. They’re everywhere, and you can have a run-in with them. The only thing to do when a spam account or message reaches your account is to report and block them. However, this does not make your account immune, as you can have yet another encounter with a spam account.
If you’re familiar with words used by spam accounts, you can try turning them off and avoiding these accounts through the “manual filter.”
Conclusion
With this guide, you now know what spam is and how to recognize one on Instagram. Stay safe by blocking these accounts and not falling prey to their schemes!
