“I disabled that feature so quick:” Instagram Map now lets you share your location with friends, and nobody wants this
Instagram just introduced a new feature called Instagram Maps that will allow users to share their location with their friends, and folks on social media are not taking the news well.
What is Instagram Map?
On Wednesday, the Meta-owned company announced several new features. One of these is Instagram Map, which curates location-based content from friends and other people you follow who tag their locations.
There are a couple of different aspects at play here. One is that any content tagged with a location will show up on the Instagram Map after 24 hours. People will also be able to add notes to those locations, viewable by mutual followers.
There's also an option to share your current location with mutual friends, Close Friends, or selected friends. Unlike some location sharing options like Snapchat's Snap Map or the one built into iPhones, Instagram's doesn't continue to update even when the app is closed. For now, it just lists your last known location when Instagram was open—if you opt in.
Overall, the idea behind Instagram Map is to recommend local spots, make it easier to meet up with friends, and just see what mutuals are nearby at events like concerts. The feature is meant to be highly customizable so as to preemptively address any privacy concerns. It's turned off by default and can be tailored to omit certain locations or even certain people at certain locations. There are also parental controls in place for minors with Instagram accounts.
Instagram users are not thrilled
This isn't the only update Instagram rolled out today. The company also announced that it's added an option for reposting public reels and posts, similar to how TikTok functions. Although a lot of users seem excited about that particular option, Maps hasn't been going over quite as well, nor has the introduction of the "Friends" tab within Reels, which allows users to see "public content your friends have interacted with."
In both instances, Instagram is facing backlash for potentially further encroaching upon users' privacy in a world where the amount of privacy we all have, especially as relates to social media, seems to be constantly dwindling.
How to turn your Instagram location on or off
To check your Instagram Map settings, navigate to your profile in Instagram and tap the three horizontal lines in the top right corner. Then go to "Hide story and live," tap on "Location sharing," and choose whether you would like to share your location or opt out.
You may need to enable additional settings in your phone if Instagram prompts you to do so. Conversely, you may want to disable all location-related settings for Instagram on your phone if you want to be extra cautious.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s newsletter here.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post “I disabled that feature so quick:” Instagram Map now lets you share your location with friends, and nobody wants this appeared first on The Daily Dot.