Soon, Instagram users will have the option to use read receipts in direct message conversations.
Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri announced on their Instagram broadcast channels that the change is currently in testing, and Mosseri included this image showing the lever and what it looks like in action.
What they didn’t mention is whether that option will come to Messenger, which similarly forces users to use read receipts without any way to disable them. We also have no idea when this might spread more widely, but keep an eye on your conversations to see if those indicators suddenly start disappearing or if someone declines your invitations to very important events.
As we reported a few years ago, choosing to accept or not receive read receipts may allow for passive aggression in its own way, but at least it will be a choice rather than a requirement.
