Revealed: What does the top viewer on Instagram story mean?

This question is so exciting for all active Instagram users — who are these people at the top of the list of people who have viewed Instagram stories?

When can I see who to watch stories on Instagram?

Users can't always see who is viewing their Instagram stories. Within 24 hours after your story is published, you can click on the icon in the lower-left corner of your story, which will display a list of people who have seen it. And you will be able to enter this list only 48 hours after the release of the story.

Top of the list of your Instagram stories

Up to a certain point, there were myths about why certain users appear at the top of the list. So, for example, there were assumptions that the "top" viewers are those who interact with your profile most actively.

Lifehack: how to watch stories and not get into the list of views?

Watch Instagram stories anonymously using the Storieswatching tool. Here you just need to enter the user's nickname - and enjoy viewing his stories without even logging into Instagram. From any device, anonymously.

However, according to comments from Instagram representatives, the opposite is true. Julian Gutman, head of product operations at Instagram, confirmed that the people who appear on this list are not the ones who follow you most actively this rating is based on your activities and the people with whom you interact most actively.

So, when you go to statistics to see who has watched your stories, you will find two categories of accounts at the top of the list:

• Those whom you closely follow, whether they are those who you really like, or maybe even don't like. You don't even have to like and comment on their posts — it's enough that you log into these profiles; different users that, according to the Instagram algorithm, you may like.
• The second category of users is updated every time you log into the app. Thus, Instagram is just trying to show you those people whose posts rarely appear in your feed or just people who might interest you, judging by your activity on the social network.

This means that frequent profile viewing may be enough to elevate the viewer to the top of your list in views in stories. The algorithm also analyzes likes, comments, messages, and other interactions in the app and adapts to your habits - showing you the content and profiles that it thinks you would like to see the most.

How do I find out who has viewed a story on Instagram?

1. Go to your history > Swipe down. Information will be displayed — the number of views, as well as who exactly watched the story.
2. Open the publication. Swipe up on the screen. As a result, you will see the number and names of people who have viewed each photo/video of your story. This information is only available to the owner of the story.

Viewing data is available within 48 hours after publication. Click the icon of the little man or the main photo at the bottom right to open a personal profile. Next, click the three sticks (upper right corner) > Select Archive. Scroll by selecting the desired history to get information about views, after selecting — swipe up on the screen.

It is important to understand that views are displayed non—unique. If one person has watched it ten times, the statistics will take into account all ten views.

Lifehack: how to count someone's views

You can hide a certain story from EVERYONE except the person whose views you are interested in. Thus, only his views will be counted in the statistics of those who viewed history. That's how you'll find out how many times he watched the story.

After this experiment, do not forget to return the ability to users to see your stories on Instagram.