When you immediately 'unlike' something on Instagram after initially pushing the like button, the platform does take note of the change. Here's what typically happens:
Notification: If the user is currently active on Instagram or has push notifications for 'likes' enabled, they may see a notification that you liked their post. However, if you 'unlike' the post quickly, the notification will disappear from their lock screen and Notification Center. Inside the Instagram app, the notification will also disappear quickly causing no harm.
Engagement metrics: From an Instagram algorithm perspective, your quick 'like' and 'unlike' could still be counted as engagement (which affects how the post is promoted on the platform). This is more relevant for public pages or business accounts who heavily track their engagement rates.
Visibility: The 'like' will not appear in their 'likes' list, as you've unliked the post. When the user checks the likes for that specific post, they won't see your username listed.
The user's activity feed: Similar to notifications, if the user is not checking almost immediately, your activity of liking and then unliking will most probably go unnoticed as the unlike removes the activity from their feed.
Remember that actions on Instagram including liking, commenting, following, and more, aren't completely private. To avoid potential embarrassment or miscommunication, be mindful of these actions.
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