Instagram has confirmed the removal of the Following tab, thus taking away users' ability to view the activity of other accounts.
On Oct 7, Instagram confirmed to Buzzfeed that the Following Tab has been removed in the latest version of the application, a feature that has helped users discover new content, led to heartbreak, or wasn't even known about. While Instagram's head of product Vishal Shah stated "simplicity was the driving factor," it's suspected that the harmful effects resulting from one's activity being unknowingly shared with others went into the removal decision as well.