Have you ever connected your Facebook and Instagram only to later question if combining access between the platforms was the right move?
You‘re not alone. While over 58% of U.S. Instagram users currently have their accounts linked to Facebook profiles, recent surveys reveal over 73% of 18-29 year olds today feel regret over allowing cross-platform data sharing from linking activity.
And many are now on a mission to separate social media accounts again…
Why Do People Want to Unlink Facebook and Instagram Accounts?
Back in 2012 when Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion dollars, few raised concerns over deeper integration. After all, being able to easily cross-post content seemed like an added bonus for users.
However in recent years as data privacy concerns have grown – especially amongst younger demographics – perspectives have shifted. There is a growing push to "unlink" Facebook and Instagram to prevent:
- Private data pooling between the platforms
- Losing control over tailored brand messaging needed on each network
- Opening up wider vulnerabilities to hacking or security issues
- Issues stemming from differing algorithm approaches on Facebook versus Instagram
Additionally, with recent surveys showing 60% of online users worry about the power technology companies wield over collecting personal data, taking back control over account separation provides welcome relief.
But how exactly do you go about unlinking Facebook and Instagram properly after they‘ve been connected? And what should you expect from managing separate logins moving forward?
This complete guide will cover:
- The step-by-step process for easily disconnecting account links
- Impact of losing cross-posting and single sign-on abilities
- Managing content on distinct platforms after unlinking
- Recapturing fuller command over your audience and data again!
Let‘s get started unlinking…
Why Linking Got Popular in the First Place
Before getting into undoing connections, it helps set context around why tying Facebook and Instagram accounts grew so ubiquitous since the acquisition:
Benefit #1) Frictionless posting – Cross-platform sharing allows effortlessly repurposing content across accounts with one click. For time-strapped social media managers, this provides a huge efficiency advantage for populating multiple streams.
Benefit #2) Unified access – Linking enables instantly jumping between apps without needing to log into each separately. For those managing business pages across platforms in particular, the single sign-on aspect offers a smoother admin experience.
So in many cases, the integration conveniences simply outweighed potential downsides initially. However, over recent years as the platforms have swelled to billions of combined users worldwide, perspectives slowly started to shift…
Top 5 Reasons Users Want to Unlink Today
While connecting accounts does provide a few advantages, for a growing share of individuals the benefits no longer outweigh emerging concerns:
1) Limit Exposure of Personal Data
Allowing activity data and private content to flow freely between apps gives Meta wider reach into profiling user behavior. In fact researchers estimate Facebook is now able to categorize over 52% of Instagram posts‘ content automatically, even on accounts set to private.
For those wary of privacy erosion, unlinking represents an important step to limiting corporate data mining and algorithms from accessing wide swaths of your online activity.
2) Craft Tailored Brand Messaging
Facebook‘s user base still tends to skew older, with over 50% of the platform‘s members falling above the age of 35. Instagram meanwhile has accrued a much younger audience – a full 60% of the app‘s users today are under 30 according to internal data.
This diverging age demographic influences the type of content and messaging that performs best on each platform. Unlinking allows crafting a unique brand voice and persona tailored to the norms of each audience rather than just mirroring the same identity.
3) Prevent Security Vulnerabilities
With so much personal and professional data accessed via connected social media apps, they‘ve naturally become a prime target for hacking attempts and digital fraud.
Stats show:
- Over 680,000 Facebook accounts get breached per day on average
- 55+ million Instagram accounts have been hacked since 2018
For context, some of the Instagram breach victims included celebrities like Selena Gomez and Nicole Curtis. By unlinking accounts, you eliminate the risks associated with a security lapse impacting both profiles via an integrated link.
4) Prioritize Content Optimization Per Platform
Here‘s an interesting stat – Facebook and Instagram‘s algorithms only overlap in how they analyze and distribute content by an estimated 11% behind the scenes.
That‘s why a post created for Facebook often flops when simply repurposed "as is" onto Instagram feeds. Succeeding on each network requires carefully customizing images, captions, and calls to action tailored to what specifically drives engagement from each audience.
5) Change of Heart Over Data Sharing Philosophies
Finally, lots of everyday users connected accounts previously just out of curiosity to test the integration. However, growing unease over how personal data gets exploited has many wanting to revisit that decision.
For all these reasons and more, interest continues swelling in unlinking Facebook and Instagram accounts again.
Step-by-Step Guide to Unlinking in Just 5 Minutes
Ready to disconnect your social media accounts? Thankfully Facebook and Instagram make it straightforward to manage.
You have two options to initiate unlinking accounts – via either platform‘s native settings menu. We‘ll cover how both work:
Option 1: Unlink Accounts via Facebook
- Open Facebook Settings – Click the ≡ icon > Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Access Accounts Center – Select "Accounts Center" then choose "Accounts"
- Locate Instagram Account – Identify the Instagram handle you want to unlink
- Remove Connections – Click "Remove" to confirm severing account links
Here‘s a visual guide to these steps:
Once you complete the process, connectivity gets disabled immediately and you‘ll stop seeing prompts to cross-post content going forward when logged into Facebook.
Option 2: Unlink Accounts via Instagram
You can also initiate separating accounts directly within Instagram‘s settings:
- Open Instagram Settings – Tap profile pic > menu > Settings
- Choose Accounts Center – Select "Accounts Center" then go to "Accounts"
- Identify Facebook Account – Locate entry with Facebook‘s icon
- Remove Connections – Tap "Remove" to confirm unlinking
See for yourself how straightforward it is:
And that‘s all there is to it! Just click through a couple confirmation screens on either Facebook or Instagram‘s side to successfully disconnect your cross-platform account linking in five minutes or less.
What Changes Can You Expect Post Unlinking?
Once you‘ve successfully completed the unlinking process, here are three key impacts to be aware of:
1) Lose ability to cross-post content – You‘ll no longer have the option to seamlessly share posts from Instagram onto Facebook (and vice versa). Managing content distribution will require creating posts separately on each platform moving forward.
2) Need to log into accounts independently – Without connected linking, expect to sign into Facebook and Instagram independently every time rather than jumping between them transparently.
3) Potentially reset passwords – Depending on your account configurations, Facebook or Instagram may flag your profile to require resetting passwords upon unlinking.
Additionally, some secondary services connected via your social media login (like Spotify, Goodreads, or TikTok) may get disconnected. You might need to link those to accounts separately again the next time you use them.
Finally, expect that some past social content and activity data might remain stored in Meta databases even after unlinking. While disconnecting accounts limits further data pooling behind the scenes, deleting historical archives requires submitting additional data removal requests.
The Upsides of Unlinked Profiles Make It Worthwhile
Despite surrendering some previous conveniences, advocates cite numerous advantages from unlinking Facebook and Instagram tied to privacy, branding potential, and audience targeting strategies:
Regain data & privacy control – With accounts disconnected, Meta can no longer track user behavior seamlessly across apps to refine their advertising profiles and activity timelines. Unlinking allows selectively customizing privacy settings differently on Instagram versus Facebook rather than standardizing access rules between them.
Customize brand voice per platform – Messaging style and tone that attracts audiences on Instagram may not appeal in the same way to Facebook‘s differing member demographics. Unlinking permits shaping an authentic brand identity tailored to each platform‘s culture rather than just mirroring the same static presence.
Boost content performance – Facebook‘s news feed algorithm and Instagram‘s chronological feed algorithm share surprisingly little overlap in how they analyze, score, and distribute content. Unlinking allows optimizing posts with platform-specific captions and hashtags to drive better visibility on each.
Key Takeaways: Weighing the Tradeoffs
While some users may still prefer the convenience benefits of keeping accounts connected, there are certainly compelling reasons to revisit unlinking. Before deciding, consider these key questions:
- How comfortable are you with increasing amounts of personal data being shared externally through linked services?
- Have you noticed differences in how audiences respond to brand content on Facebook vs. Instagram?
- How much time can you allocate to managing separate vs. integrated posting workflows?
Additionally take stock of whether your accounts demonstrate vulnerabilities like using aging or recycled passwords.
Review all these factors to determine if unlinking makes the most sense for your situation. The good news is revisiting connections is straightforward anytime by following the steps in this guide!
Level Up Account Security with Other Best Practices
Beyond just disconnecting access between accounts, hardening all your social profiles should become standard practice in today‘s digital climate regardless.
Here are three quick security tips:
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Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – Add a second credential check like SMS codes during login attempts on both Facebook and Instagram to verify identity. Over 96% of financially-motivated hacking attempts could be prevented by enabling 2FA.
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Delete Unused Third Party App Authorizations – Old app permission grants on social accounts sometimes get overlooked. Prune back anything not recognizing like streaming or dating services to tighten up authorization.
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Frequently Reset Passwords – Yes, constantly creating new passwords feels tedious. But refreshing login credentials every ~60 days on all key accounts remains one of the most effective shields against hackers exploiting stale passwords exposed in previous breaches.
Proactively safeguarding online identities has become a routine affair. But the peace of mind gained from sensible precautions like unlinking integrated access and enabling two-factor authentication is invaluable.
Key Takeaways: To Link or Not to Link Accounts?
While unlinking Facebook and Instagram does remove some conveniences, for many users the benefits of separating accounts again outweigh the disadvantages of integration in the modern era.
Ultimately there‘s no right or wrong answer for everyone. Evaluate your own preferences and needs to determine the ideal account configurations. Get started reclaiming control by following the unlinking steps in this guide.
And let us know if you have any other questions come up in managing your social media presence! We‘re always happy to help advise as you reassess privacy considerations and what works best for showcasing your brand personality across networks.
