To be honest… this post is born out of my blood, sweat, and a few painful cringe moments.
I’m writing it so you don’t have to go through the same embarrassment I did.
📌 How It All Started
I thought Threads only shared login info with Instagram.
So I casually wrote a few short, silly posts.
The problem? I didn’t realize that whenever you post on Threads, it also shows up on your Instagram followers’ feeds and notifications.
“Wait, I don’t even have followers on Threads—how come my Instagram friends know what I posted?”
— Yep, turns out that’s the default setting.
🤦♂️ Meta’s Philosophy of ‘Connection’
Meta (the company behind Instagram and Threads) prioritizes connection above everything else.
Because of that, your Instagram friends automatically become your Threads followers,
and every new post can trigger a notification like, “So-and-so just posted on Threads.”
Whether you want it or not, that’s the default.
🚨 Want to Separate Instagram and Threads?
Here’s the catch: there’s currently no official way to completely unlink Threads from Instagram.
If you want a totally different friend list,
👉 the only option is to create a new Instagram account and sign up for Threads with that.
Even if you turn off notifications or switch to private mode, the Instagram–Threads friend pool itself remains shared.
😂 Extra Stories + My Embarrassing Moments
Honestly, this kind of thing isn’t new to social media.
Back in the Facebook days, the right-hand feed used to show things like “Your friend liked/commented on this post” in real time. Basically, everyone could see what you were doing. I used to be super cautious about that.
But with Threads? Man… I had no idea it was connected so tightly with Instagram, and boom—instant cringe archive for all my offline friends to see. 🤦♂️
And here’s a story from a friend of mine:
He followed a bunch of popular influencers on Instagram, only to have his girlfriend call him out like, “Really? You know everyone can see who you’re following, right?” He said he almost had a heart attack 😂.
So yeah, social media connects us, but sometimes it exposes way more than we’d like.
📢 The Takeaway
Threads is a great platform for writing short posts, but you need to understand how tightly it’s tied to Instagram.
Don’t be like me—posting random nonsense only to have your entire offline circle see it.
If Meta’s philosophy is “connect everything,” then we need to know when and how to disconnect.
And with other platforms—like the rumored “KakaoTalk Threads-style update” coming soon—it’s worth keeping the same caution in mind.
Always double-check how a new SNS links with existing platforms before signing up.
That one step could save you from a whole lot of late-night cringe later on.
☕️ Enjoyed this post?
If you found my story helpful (or at least entertaining), you can buy me a coffee to support my writing!
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