When you follow someone on most social media platforms, it does not automatically notify the person that you started following them. However, there are some exceptions and additional factors to consider regarding notifications when following someone online.
Does Following Someone on Twitter Notify Them?
On Twitter, users are not notified when someone new follows them. You can follow any public Twitter account without the user being alerted. This allows you to keep up with people and topics you’re interested in without distracting the users you follow with notifications.
There are a couple exceptions to this standard on Twitter:
- If the account you follow has protected tweets, the user will get a request notification asking them to approve you as a follower.
- When you follow someone after interacting with them, like replying to a tweet of theirs, they may get a notification that you started following them. This depends on their notification settings.
In general, regular following does not trigger a notice, and users you follow will not see you in their immediate notifications. You can browse their profile and keep up with their tweets anonymously without them being alerted.
Does Following on Instagram Send a Notification?
Following someone on Instagram does not notify them either. As with Twitter, you can follow Instagram profiles without the user knowing simply to observe their public posts.
The exceptions are:
- If the user has a private account, they will get a follow request notification when you try to follow them.
- Similar to Twitter, if you follow someone soon after interacting with their profile, like liking a photo of theirs, they may get a notification about the new follower.
So as long as the account is public and you do not engage first, following an Instagram account will not notify the user.
Does Following on Facebook Send a Notification?
Facebook has similar behavior to Twitter and Instagram when it comes to following. You can follow public profiles and pages without the user being notified. They will not see you as a new follower in notifications.
The exceptions here are:
- If you follow a personal profile with privacy settings enabled, they have to confirm the follower request.
- Pages with high volumes of followers may have notification filters in place for new follows.
- Mutual friends in common with the person you follow may get notifications about your new connection.
So for most public profiles and pages, you can follow anonymously. But for private profiles or high-traffic pages, the user may get an alert.
Does Following on LinkedIn Notify?
LinkedIn has a default notification setting that alerts users when someone new follows them. So unlike other platforms, following someone on LinkedIn will trigger a notice to that person.
You can find the “Follow” button on a user’s profile. Click it and they will get an alert that you now follow them. This allows for connecting professionally and keeping up with industry leaders and potential contacts.
The exception is if the user adjusts their settings to turn off follow notifications. But most LinkedIn users have the notices enabled as a way to monitor their professional network.
Does Following on Pinterest Notify?
Following boards and profiles on Pinterest does not trigger any notifications to the user. You can browse pins and follow Pinterest accounts without the other person knowing.
The only exception is if you try to follow a private account. The user will get an alert to approve your request to follow their private content.
Pinterest introduced “silent follows” a few years ago specifically so users could organically grow their network without unnecessary notifications cluttering the platform. This system makes it easy to quietly follow and unfollow as you wish.
Does Following on Reddit Notify?
Reddit does not have a traditional following system, but you can subscribe to subreddits to see posts from those communities in your home feed. Subscribing to a subreddit does not generate any notifications to the members or moderators.
User profiles do not have followers. You can view any public Reddit profile without the user getting notified. Upvoting their posts or commenting would create a notification.
The only exception is if a subreddit is private. Trying to subscribe triggers a message to the moderators to approve you.
Does YouTube Notify on New Subscribers?
YouTube channels are not notified when someone new subscribes to them. You can subscribe to any public YouTube channel and the owner will not know.
Channel owners can see their total subscriber numbers increase. But they do not see notifications on who specifically subscribed and when like other social platforms. It’s anonymous.
The exception is if subscriptions are set to private. The channel owner would get a notification to approve you as a subscriber. But most YouTube channels leave subscriptions public.
Does Following on Twitch Notify?
Following a Twitch streamer does not send them any notification. You can anonymously follow channels on Twitch to get notified when they go live.
Channel owners will see their total follower count increase. But they do not get individual follow notifications the way they would for a subscription, bit donation, or comment.
The only exception is if the streamer has follower-only mode enabled. Trying to follow a channel with this restriction prompts the streamer to review and approve the request.
In Summary
For most social media sites, following or subscribing does not notify the user by default. The exceptions are if you try to follow private accounts or pages with notification filters on high volume follows.
Some tips to keep your follows anonymous:
- Avoid engaging with the profile first if you want to silently follow later.
- Follow public pages and accounts rather than private ones with approval processes.
- Be aware that restricted pages or groups may decline follow requests.
- Check the platform’s notification settings if you want to disable follow alerts.
With the right settings and strategies, you can browse most social media sites without users knowing they gained a new follower. This allows you to discreetly keep up with content that interests you across your social networks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does following someone on Twitter notify them?
No, following someone on Twitter does not notify them by default. The user will not receive any alert that you started following their public account. The exceptions are protected accounts or if you engage before following.
Does following an Instagram account send them a notification?
No, Instagram does not alert users when you follow them. You can silently keep up with public Instagram accounts. The exceptions are private accounts or if you like posts before following.
Can I follow someone on Facebook without them knowing?
Generally yes, you can follow public Facebook profiles without notifications. Private profiles or pages with high volumes of followers may be notified when you follow them.
Does following on LinkedIn trigger a notification?
Yes, LinkedIn sends email alerts to users by default when someone follows them. You can change this in notification settings to turn off follow alerts.
Can I follow Pinterest boards without the user knowing?
Yes, Pinterest has silent follows so users do not receive notifications when you follow them. The only exception is private accounts require approval to follow.
Does subscribing to a subreddit notify the moderators?
No, subscribing to a public subreddit does not notify the moderators or members. You anonymously join subreddit communities on Reddit.
Do YouTube channels know when someone subscribes?
No, YouTube creators are not notified on new individual subscribers. They can only see the total subscriber number change.
Can I follow a Twitch streamer without them knowing?
Yes, you can anonymously follow public Twitch channels. The streamer is not directly notified, though their total follower count does increment.
Conclusion
Silently following social media accounts without notifications is possible on most major platforms. By understanding when alerts are triggered, you can discreetly keep up with content that interests you across various sites.