Instagram users can add up to four pronouns to their profiles & can choose to display publicly or only to their followers
Popular photo-sharing platform Instagram has introduced a new feature that will allow users to add up to four pronouns to their profiles. The pronouns will appear next to one’s Instagram username.
As per The Verge, Instagram announced on Tuesday that it is allowing people to add up to four pronouns to their profiles, which they can then choose to display publicly or only to their followers. Users under 18 will have this setting turned on by default. The company also stated that people can fill out a form to have a pronoun added, if it is not already available, or just add it to their bio instead. Instagram said that this feature is currently available only in a “few countries”.
The new feature is completely optional, so a user doesn’t have to add any at all if they don’t want to, and they can remove or change them at any time. The feature is a significant addition for gender-diverse users, allies, and those exploring their gender identity.
“We are giving people more tools to express themselves on Instagram,” a Facebook company spokesperson told Mashable.
The spokesperson added, “Sharing pronouns has been widely adopted by our community, and with this feature, we hope to normalize the adoption further.”
To add your pronouns, simply go to your profile, tap the Edit Profile button, then tap Pronouns. Start typing whatever pronouns you wish, though you can only actually select from the results that pop up.
Other platforms also allow their users to add pronouns to their profiles. Dating apps, like OkCupid, have already introduced the feature, as have other apps like Lyft.
Interestingly, Facebook allowed users to define their pronouns starting in 2014, although the feature limited people to “he/him, she/her, and they/them.” This appears to still be the case while Instagram will offer more options.
