9 Annoying Instagram Habits You Should Break

We may get a small commission if you buy something through a link in our posts.

Last updated: November 1, 2022

I have a love/hate relationship with Instagram. It’s a fun social media platform that can work really well in so many ways. But how some people use Instagram can make it a bit of an annoying place to hang out.

The point of Instagram is, or was, to share creative snapshots with your followers and the rest of the world. But some users take certain Instagram habits and trends to the extreme to a point where it becomes annoying.

While I understand it’s becoming increasingly difficult to be truly original and unique in the digital world we’re living in, we should at least give it a try.

I’ve collected 9 annoying Instagram habits that you should break.

In no particular order, here are 9 habits on Instagram that I personally find a little bit off-putting.

1. Using “Inspirational” Quotes

If you post the occasional inspirational quote every now and then, that’s kind of okay. But please don’t overdo it. And when you do post them regularly, at least try to be somewhat original.

We can all go to Google and search for inspirational quotes. But most of these quotes have been shared millions of times already. They are being recycled every single day.

The irony is that these unoriginal motivational quotes aren’t actually motivational or inspirational at all. They are annoying.

So if you want to post motivational quotes, don’t just borrow the first one you come across on Google, but try to think of something yourself and how it relates to your life.

That’s what I would find a lot more interesting. Maybe.

2. Pointless Comments

If you’re on Instagram, you will no doubt be familiar with those pointless, out-of-context, totally unrelated comments on your posts from accounts that have absolutely nothing in common with you.

Comments like these typically are not much more than a random emoji or consist of just one word, such as “nice!” or “cool!”.

There is obviously nothing genuine behind these comments, and they only serve one purpose: to attract more followers. To make it worse, the posting of these pointless comments is often outsourced or it is automated.

Sadly though, it works. But the reality is that the followers you may attract with this annoying habit are not engaged followers. So while your followers count may go up, your Instagram account won’t benefit much from it.

It’s annoying.

3. Selfie Overdose

Some people love themselves, and that’s okay. Kind of.

But that doesn’t mean you should post a selfie (or multiple selfies) every single day. Even though it’s your Instagram account, and you can post whatever you like, perhaps try to be a little bit less egocentric.

Try to mix it up a bit. No matter how pretty or good-looking you are, the world doesn’t need to always see your face. Please?

4. The Follow Unfollow Trick

Ugh, I hate this one.

I’ve already written about the Instagram follow unfollow method in detail, but in short, it’s a very uncool way to quickly spice up your followers count.

You basically follow a whole bunch of Instagram accounts (ideally smaller ones), wait for them to follow you back, and then unfollow them a few days later.

Not cool.

5. Over-Sexualized Gym Photos

Posting a photo of yourself after completing an epic workout is okay. You’re proud of your achievements, and you want to share that with your followers. Heck, you may even inspire some of them.

That’s all good.

But do you need to be half-naked? I don’t think so. Let’s not turn Instagram into an adult-only world, please. It may help to grow your followers count, but it’s also annoying.

This over-sexualization simply isn’t necessary. But, sadly, in today’s world, this kinda stuff does actually work.

6. The Duck Face Selfie

Please don’t take it too personally if you post the duck face selfie every now and then, but I just find it a tad annoying.

It’s a mystery to me why some people feel the need to pull a duck face when taking a selfie. I’m guessing it’s meant to make them look more attractive, but to me, it just looks silly.

I don’t know about you, but I would much prefer to see a pretty, natural smile. But maybe that’s just the old-fashioned me.

7. Being a Serial Poser

This one is annoying and funny at the same time.

I always need to chuckle a bit when I see someone on Instagram doing a fabricated pose, especially when they are clearly in a very uncomfortable and unnatural position.

I see it happening in real life too. People literally spending an hour posing around at a landmark, trying to shoot that perfect image with a wonderfully staged pose.

But do you really need to pose in every single picture on your Instagram account? Why not post the occasional shot of beautiful scenery without you in it?

8. Buying Followers Just to Become an Influencer

I don’t know about you, but I dislike the word “influencer”. There’s something very pretentious about that word.

On Instagram, though, there is a lot of money to be made if the world perceives you as a so-called influencer. And to be an influencer, you need to have followers.

There are tons of people out there who are desperate to become an influencer. Either because it can be a lucrative career move or because it can brush their ego.

And to speed up the process, some of these influencer wannabes resort to buying followers. But while that may work in the short term as your follower count goes up, you will eventually end up with an Instagram account that lacks engagement.

Why? Because a lot of these bought followers will be Instagram ghost followers and they are of no use. And if there is no engagement going on in your Instagram world, then you’re simply not an influencer.

So instead of buying followers, try to grow your Instagram followers organically and naturally. It will result in much more engagement.

9. Posting Follow-Me-To Photos

You must have come across those photos where a girl is holding a guy’s hand – the boyfriend, typically – and leads him around while he snaps the picture.

This #followmeto posting style used to be really cool and creative. Until everyone else started copying it.

And now it’s not cool anymore. So please come up with something different instead, and be cool again.