{"id":862695,"date":"2026-09-27T18:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T18:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/862695\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T18:18:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T18:18:20","slug":"instagrams-new-3-99-plus-subscription-slammed-as-a-new-low-that-lets-users-torture-themselves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/862695\/","title":{"rendered":"Instagram\u2019s new $3.99 \u2018Plus\u2019 subscription slammed as a \u2018new low\u2019 that lets users \u2018torture\u2019 themselves"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Instagram stalking is no longer private. <\/p>\n<p>Instagram has launched a new premium feature, Instagram Plus, for $3.99 a month\u2014marketing the subscription as a way to \u201chelp you express yourself, connect deeper with friends, and customize your experience in new ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The monthly subscription offers users exclusive perks and features on the app.<\/p>\n<p>While the feature was designed to \u201cbroaden the digital reach,\u201d backlash has mounted over claims that the new offerings exploit digital addiction and are a price paid to \u201cdrive people crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img style=\"aspect-ratio:1;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"   data-modal-image=\"41013125\" width=\"590\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/instagram-com-features-instagram-plus-142742642.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of Instagram features including a 14-second story, a timer, and hearts indicating likes.\" class=\"wp-image-41013125\"\/>Instagram Plus is an optional $3.99 per month Meta subscription that unlocks extra viewer insights.  Instagram<\/p>\n<p>Features include extending 24-hour stories to stay visible for longer and pushing them to the top of users\u2019 feeds, alongside \u201cexpressive reactions\u201d so friends can show \u201cextra support\u201d in direct messages.<\/p>\n<p>The new Story Rewatch Count feature shows how many times your story was replayed, while the Search Viewer Sheet allows you to quickly check if a specific person saw your post.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Story Preview lets users peek at someone\u2019s story without appearing on their viewer list.<\/p>\n<p>There are also features that help hide actions from other users, including posting to your profile or highlights without appearing in friends\u2019 feeds. While previewing stories secretly allows users to view content without the pressure to react, it prevents the creator from seeing who actually watched it.<\/p>\n<p>Social media users are deeming the subscription a \u201cnew low,\u201d giving users the capability to drive themselves crazy for $3.99 a month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf what you love is the ability to more conveniently keep tabs on crushes or enemies\u2014by which I mean torture yourself\u2014then Instagram nailed it,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/technology\/comments\/1uhzpo5\/instagram_plus_is_a_new_low_drive_yourself_crazy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">ranted one Reddit user,<\/a> adding that the feature encourages obsessive tendencies.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@suhaadada\/video\/7685625492224937246?_r=1&amp;_t=ZP-99o7ilyrVnD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">TikToker @suhaadada<\/a> conducted what she called a \u201csocial experiment\u201d to test Instagram Plus, concluding it made her \u201cready to never use Instagram again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She particularly criticized the Story Rewatch insight, which displays a rewatch glyph next to the viewer count when someone watches a story multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis could be someone swiping through at a fast glimpse and seeing something that interested them enough to go back,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n<p><img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.50146628;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"   data-modal-image=\"41013131\" width=\"886\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/instagram-com-blog-announcements-introducing-142742647.jpg\" alt=\"Illustration of three Instagram screens showing bio editing, story viewers, and story sharing options.\" class=\"wp-image-41013131\"\/>Instagram Plus is stated to be \u201csimply an optional upgrade for people who want more control.\u201d Instagram<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt tries to manipulate you into thinking that a viewer rewatch means more than what it actually is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The feature also provides timestamps for when someone first viewed a story, updating if they return to rewatch it.<\/p>\n<p>Critics argue these updates allow companies to profit at the expense of user mental health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the expense of your own mental health as you start to wonder why someone is jumping to the top of your viewer list so much,\u201d said the TikToker, noting that non-subscribers won\u2019t know who has Instagram Plus or that their viewing habits are being tracked\u2014meaning subscribers are paying to access user behavior that \u201cshould be kept private.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you have Instagram plus stay away from me,\u201d one commenter quipped.<\/p>\n<p>Others warn that paid features are just the beginning, theorizing Meta will eventually charge users for overall access across its platforms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeta is slowly killing what used to be good,\u201d one user lamented.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Instagram stalking is no longer private. Instagram has launched a new premium feature, Instagram Plus, for $3.99 a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[4136,149,1282,108,172,74,1153],"class_list":["post-862695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-instagram","tag-lifestyle","tag-meta","tag-social-media","tag-tech","tag-technology","tag-tiktok"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}