The importance of media in today’s modern era cannot be denied at all. From traditional media channels to social media, the world has come a long way. Instagram is undoubtedly one of the most noteworthy social media networks out there. It has reshaped the way we use social media by giving birth to new forms of art and influencing fashion, visual arts, and design trends. Moreover, it has made significant contributions in the fields of digital marketing and influencer marketing.
Comments are an important criterion to measure the engagement rates of a professional account. The number of comments shows how active your followers are in interacting with your content. The higher the count, the greater the engagement.
However, sometimes there can be a difference in the comments count and actual comments on the post. This might be due to a few reasons that we will be exploring as we go further in this article. Let’s crack the code right away!
Reasons for the Difference in Comment Count
A slight difference in the number of comments can change the case for businesses, influencers, and content creators. They have to stay on top of the game always to gain more followers on Instagram. This difference could be due to several reasons which are as follows.
Lag in Updating the Comment Count
Instagram is one of the most popular social media apps with a massive userbase consisting of more than 2 billion people from all over the world. The server is overloaded with users uploading posts, and stories, posting comments, and interacting with various content forms every second causing network congestion.
Due to this overloading, there could be a lag in updating the comments. Hence, the difference in the number of actual comments and the number being displayed on a post. It usually takes some time for Instagram to update comments on a post. Sometimes, a few seconds, and sometimes it could take up to a few minutes as well.
Refreshing your feed, or logging out and logging in again can help fix this issue at times as the app is forced to update and display the accurate number of comments.
Fake or Spam Comments
Instagram has very sharp mechanisms to detect spam activities on the app. Comments coming from fake profiles or bots are instantly categorized as spam by Instagram. Some people do resort to buying fake comments and likes to show others they have highly engaged followers on their profile. These comments are totally random and offer no significant value to the content they are added to.
However, if you do want to get more Instagram likes and comments to grow on Instagram, you should look for the ones that come from real and active profiles in order to keep your account safe.
Instagram automatically detects spam activity and filters out any fake comments. Filtering the comments can cause the number shown on posts to vary. It may seem nice to have a greater number of comments initially but it can do more harm than good. Constantly getting fake comments on your posts can cause your account to get flagged, banned, or deleted.
To counter this problem, you can manually delete any such comments and block fake accounts you find on your posts. This will help you find out the actual number of comments on your posts.
User-Related Issues
Sometimes you encounter the issue of getting the wrong number of comments on your posts not because of the Instagram app, but because of users. For example, if you have blocked someone on Instagram, you won’t see their comments on other posts but they will still be included in the total comment count.
Another reason could be the privacy settings of some users where they choose to make their comments visible only to their followers or selected people. In this case, their comments won’t be counted in the total number of comments. This is why you might be experiencing a change in the number of comments written and displayed on the posts.
Deleted, Hidden, or Filtered Comments
When a comment is deleted, there could be a delay in updating the number just like it is when someone posts a comment. Some comments are automatically hidden or filtered by Instagram if they violate the community guidelines. Comments containing abusive language, harassment, or bullying are filtered before they are available for public viewing.
If a person’s Instagram account or comment is shadowbanned, most people would not be able to view their content and comments under posts. Apart from that, you won’t be able to view comments in languages that are not supported by your device or the app. Due to these reasons, the comments filtered, hidden, or shadowbanned may cause a discrepancy in the actual number of comments and the number displayed under the posts.
You can check for any hidden or deleted comments under your posts and choose to unhide or restore them respectively. This will equalize the actual number of comments and the comments count you can see under your posts.
Glitches in Algorithm
Software bugs, glitches, and technical issues in apps are common occurrences. The algorithms are complex and are constantly being updated and undergoing improvements. So you might sometimes experience a difference in the number of comments due to an error or glitch on Instagram. Most of the time these glitches are temporary and are resolved after some time. Otherwise, you can try closing and reopening the app after clearing the cache, updating your app, or deleting and reinstalling it on your phone.
If the difference in your comment count still exists, report it to Instagram directly so the team can take a closer look at the issue to get it resolved.
Winding Up
Experiencing a difference in your comment count can be really frustrating especially when you run a professional account as an influencer, content creator, or a business. The bright side to this is that there is nothing much to worry about if this happens. It can be due to any of the following reasons:
- Lag in updating the comments
- Fake or spam comments
- User-related issues
- Deleted, hidden, or filtered comments
- Glitches in the Instagram algorithm
Generally, the issue can be resolved by simple steps such as refreshing, closing and reopening the app, and clearing cache. If the issue still persists, try logging in from another device to see if it works. Otherwise, the last option is to report the problem to Instagram.
