Why We Take Unfollowing On Instagram So Personally

Clicking around to find out who unfollowed you on Instagram is like signing up for devastation on the level of listening to Olivia Rodrigo on repeat. Losing a follower — even if it’s just one person, and even if you barely knew them — has a way of ruining a day (or at least a good portion of an evening).Think about when The Weeknd unfollowed Selena Gomez, or when Kylie Jenner (and then the rest of the Kardashian clan) unfollowed Jordyn Woods. Or that time when the entire beauty community on YouTube unfollowed each other during the summer of 2020. The social media act can be so dramatic it makes the news. (Celebrities, they’re just like us.) James, 27, says he hates when he loses a follower. “When someone unfollows me, it basically triggers my fight-or-flight response,” he tells Bustle — yet he can’t seem to look away. In fact, James admits to checking his analytics 50 to 100 times a day, or whenever he picks up his phone. And when his count goes down, it puts him in a bad mood.But, while some people need to investigate the unfollow, others decidedly… do not. You’re either staunchly in the track-each-and-every-unfollow…
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