Social media platforms currently notify users whenever someone follows or unfollows them, creating unnecessary social pressure. Many users want to discreetly manage their connections—whether to follow industry leaders professionally, reconnect with old acquaintances, or avoid awkwardness with ex-partners—but existing platforms force these actions to be public.

A discreet solution to social curation

One approach could be adding a "silent follow" feature that allows users to follow others without generating notifications. The followed account would see their follower count increase but wouldn’t know who followed them. Unlike private accounts or "Close Friends" lists, which control content visibility, this would focus solely on making connections less socially fraught. For the platform, this might boost follow rates by removing hesitation, while advertisers could benefit from more genuine engagement patterns.

Balancing utility and safety

To prevent misuse (e.g., stalking), silent follows could incorporate safeguards like rate limits and be fully blocked if a user blocks someone. For user clarity, the interface might mark silently followed accounts with a subtle icon. Platforms wary of losing notification-driven engagement might test this as a premium feature or find that reduced friction increases overall follows.

Standing apart from existing features

Unlike Instagram’s Close Friends (which hides content) or LinkedIn’s private mode (which hides profile views), this would specifically address follow notifications. Twitter’s "soft block" workaround—unfollowing and blocking to remove a follower—shows demand for discreet connection management but solves a different problem.

A minimal version could start with a simple toggle when clicking "Follow," letting users choose between notifying or following silently without overhauling the platform’s core systems.