Zoey
Our world revolves around one thing now – attention. Whether the attention is positive or negative, that is a different matter, but attention and fame is what people seek. With the advent of social media, this pursuit of fame has gotten more intense, without getting easier. One would think that when it’s so easy to put yourself out there, fame should be easy to achieve, right?
But, when everyone has the same purpose and the same tools, how does one get ahead in the game? How does one stand out from the crowd?
This question is especially true for people on social media websites like Instagram. You have just one way of showing who you are and what your life is about; through pictures.
To attract an audience, you need to be able to tell a story through the pictures you take; of yourself or the world around you. If you succeed, you can be an Instagram star. If you fail, you’ll remain in the shadows like millions of other users.
However, it’s not always easy to become a social media star; you can be doing all the right things and still fail to reach your audience because you don’t have enough followers. It’s a vicious cycle – you need followers to make your posts more visible, but you get more followers if your posts are visible to a larger audience. It can be frustrating and make the best of us lose our patience.
So, what do you do? Well, if you look to the internet, you’ll find a lot of articles on the ways you can increase your followers, also known as Instagram Hacks. Here, we break them down to see whether these “Instagram Hacks” really work, or if they’re just another scam you need to steer clear of.
Instagram Hacks for More Followers
So, you need to boost your rep and gain more followers on Instagram but don’t have the time to do it the right way? Wish there was a quick fix you could use? Well, you’re not alone.
There are hundreds and thousands of Instagram users looking for the same thing, especially teenagers. What do they do? Turn to the World Wide Web and the many suggestions given by random people regarding Instagram Hacks they can use to not only increase their followers, but also likes on their posts.
While there may be countless websites claiming to give you free followers or likes, these are just scams. How do we know?
Well, every such “free” website will make you do one of two things in exchange for thousands of followers or likes: either complete a survey, or download an application. Once you have done what the website asks, guess what happens next? Nothing. You don’t receive anything the website has promised and you mostly end up with some kind of virus or malware on your computer.
Think we’re exaggerating or giving you the wrong information? Don’t believe us when we say these websites are nothing more than scams?
You can decide for yourself whether these websites work by trying one out. For instance, go ahead and try out the website we have given in the picture and see if it gives you any followers or likes at all. Oh and good luck! You’re going to need it if you do end up trying the website.
Instagram Hacks for Passwords and Accounts
Another popular Instagram hack is that of hacking another person’s account or password. Why? Why do we feel the need to hack someone’s personal data?
Is it simply curiosity of what that person is doing?
Is it something sinister like using that data for personal gains?
Whatever the reasons may be, hacking of accounts has been a persistent problem from the moment such accounts came into existence.
So, whatever your reasons may be for hacking into someone’s Instagram account, let us tell you now that there is no free website or tool that allows you to do that. And how can there be?
A multimillion company like Instagram is sure to cover its bases, and one of the first things it has to ensure is the privacy and security of its users. If it can’t even do that, how can it hope to have any users at all?
Therefore, it makes sense that Instagram would spend as much money and as many resources as needed to secure its platform from silly little websites that claim to be able to hack it, that too for free.
Again, if you don’t want to take our word for it, we have another example of a website you can try out in the picture below.
But, take our advice and avoid all such scammer websites. Still really want to know someone’s password?
The best option you can go for is guessing it. If you know them well enough, you may be able to guess it one day soon. If you don’t know them, well, you can always hope one of your guesses might stick.
However, personally, we don’t condone any activity that violates the privacy of another person or the integrity of Instagram.
Safeguard Yourself against Instagram Hacks
We’ve already established that online, free Instagram hacks are nothing more than scams. However, there are some tools or websites that can help people with bad intentions get at your account or your personal data.
These are generally websites that require some money in exchange for the hack. Hence, if someone is ready to pay good money to get to your account, they obviously don’t have the best of intentions.
There are two ways your account can be compromised:
- Unauthorized content being posted on your account:
If you notice content on your account you have not posted yourself or authorized anyone to post on your behalf, then it’s likely your password has been compromised. You can rectify this by first changing your password, and then revoking access to any third-party apps that seem suspicious. Such apps specifically include those that do not follow the Terms of Use or Community Guidelines of Instagram, especially websites that promise to provide you with free followers and like as mentioned above.
- Your account being hacked:
Now, if you think your account has been hacked, there are two scenarios that can play out: either you can still access your account by logging in, or you not able to log in to your account at all. In the first case, you can safeguard your account by changing your password, revoking access to suspicious third-party apps, and turning on two-factor authentication to increase your security level. However, in the second scenario, you can get some help through the Instagram’s mobile app. For that, you will need to open your Instagram app and tap “Get help signing in” beneath the “Log In” option.
There are also some general security tips you can follow to make sure you are secure from any potential attacks through an “Instagram Hack” or actual threat. Some of these are:
- Make sure you use a strong password, which is a combination of alphabets, numbers and punctuation marks. Also, do not use the same password for different accounts and websites.
- Keep changing your password on a regular basis, particularly if Instagram sends you a message to change it. How does it know when you need to change it? Instagram does regular, automated security checks, which often reveal stolen login information on other websites. So, if your information comes up in one of these security checks and Instagram prompts you to change your password, you should really listen.
- Do not give out your password to anyone. You are better off keeping your password just to yourself, and not sharing it with anyone regardless of how well you know them.
- For increased security, make sure you have two-factor authentication turned on.
- Ensure that your email account is secure because anyone who has access to your email account can easily gain access to your Instagram account. Change your email’s password regularly and do not keep the same password for two or more accounts.
- If you share your computer or mobile phone with someone else, make sure to log out of Instagram when you are done using it. Furthermore, when logging in on a public computer or network, do not click the “Remember Me” option. Why? Because this keeps your account logged in even when you have closed the browser’s window.
- Do not give any suspicious third-party apps any permissions. If you need to authorize an app on your account, research it and make sure it is safe.
- Install anti-virus and internet safety software on your computer so you can remain safe from all kinds of viruses, malwares and spywares. These can enter your computer and collect information regarding your activities, including your keystrokes while typing in your password. Hence, the best way to keep your computer safe from these threats is by installing software that prevents them from entering your computer at all.
