Today I noticed that my boyfriend is following an old flame of mine whom I had a brief conversation with in the past on Instagram. They don't know each other at all, what's going on? If I ask, he'll say I'm being jealous, but if I don't ask, it's eating me up inside. Should I look for something deeper behind this, or is it just a coincidence? I'm really unsure, what would you do?
This is such a ridiculous situation. My boyfriend also followed some unnecessary people for a while. I thought I shouldn't ask at first, but it really bothered me. In the end, I directly asked, 'Why are you following this person?' It turned out it had shown up in suggestions, and he thought it was a friend or something. But once I asked, I felt better; I think you should talk about it too.
Let me be clear, my ex used to act like this too, and I think it obviously caught her interest. You say they don't know each other, but maybe she's realized that there’s a connection with you. It's very strange, I mean, just have a calm conversation and ask.
But look, leaving a bit of an open door here is a mistake. It's a bit unnecessary to still have your ex's on social media or share their names with him, right? I mean, why would your boyfriend take such a step out of nowhere? I think you should also reflect on yourself a bit.
I think you should just ask directly, but not in a jealous tone. You can say something like, 'I noticed, it didn't feel very familiar, but why did you add me?' This way, there's no accusation, and they can comfortably explain.
Such situations in relationships through social media generally stem from a lack of communication. Before it turns into a jealousy crisis, it’s important to understand what such a following action means in the life of the person involved. If you establish a clear dialogue, the problem can be resolved.
Here's the thing, my ex is a bit of a 'popular' type on social media. Like someone everyone knows and loves. But my boyfriend doesn't know him at all. It still feels so stupid to me, why would he do something like that?
I don't think there's a completely logical reason, but it might be related to the algorithm. As you said, if they're a popular person, they might show up in recommendations. In the past, adding an acquaintance sometimes happens with a strangely innocent urge; I would say not to look for another meaning.
I've read somewhere that if you stalk someone a lot on Instagram, it starts showing them as a familiar thing and pushes them into your suggestions. It might be wrong, but could that be a thing? I mean, it seems to me that your girlfriend might have seen him before.
I think there's something deeper behind this incident. I mean, if they don't know each other, why did he follow her? Maybe he has heard something about her without realizing it, since you mentioned she is popular. But it seems like something might come out of this. I'd recommend looking into it thoroughly.
