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Show HN: uBlock filter list to blur all Instagram Reels

51 points by shraiwi ago | 16 comments

A filter list for uBO that blurs all video and non-follower content from Instagram. Works on mobile with uBO Lite.

hmokiguess |next [-]

I don't use the app so I confess I'm a little confused, I saw your screenshot and it seems like the end result is just scrolling through nothing. Why would you want that? Isn't it better to just not open it altogether? Like, block the entire thing? Why scroll through a bunch of blur

shraiwi |root |parent |next [-]

The screenshot was to demonstrate what blocked posts look like. I scrolled past the posts of my friends since I didn't want to dox them, but organic posts do show up near the top of my feed.

The goal isn't to scroll through nothing, but rather have a clean feed that shows me just my friends and nothing else.

SirMaster |root |parent [-]

So why blur and not just hide?

yard2010 |root |parent [-]

It says in the post OP didn't want to fix the layout (and it is implied that empty space is less friendly than blurred content)

Forgeties79 |root |parent |previous [-]

Same reason people use app timers when they can elect to not use the app instead.

varenc |next |previous [-]

From the gist:

> I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was

This sure makes me feel old. It's a great goal though. I miss the golden era of Facebook when it was really just friend content.

sodapopcan |root |parent [-]

It took a nosedive the day the news feed was released. I remember people were angry about it and it's one of those things that didn't just take getting used to, it still sucks all these years later.

kelnos |next |previous [-]

> I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was.

Hell, you're trying to make Instagram be what Instagram used to be. Back in the early (pre-Meta) days, it was just a reverse-chronological feed of the posts from people you followed.

A decent part of why I bailed on Instagram back in 2019 or so was because it had stopped being this for a while (posts reordered, some not even shown, so many ads).

hbn |root |parent [-]

You can still get a chronological feed if you tap the Instagram logo at the top and click "Following"

But you can't turn that mode on as a default, and it essentially kicks you from the normal app hierarchy into a separate barebones screen. I find it's all for naught anyway because my friends have long since stopped making regular posts on Instagram, it's more common to use stories.

maurelius2 |next |previous [-]

> I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was. Christ, I'm old.

kgwxd |next |previous [-]

I did something similar for myself a few years ago:

||instagram.com^

apples_oranges |next |previous [-]

i was hoping Instagram would add a toggle to get rid of this stuff!

in_a_hole |root |parent |next [-]

On the mobile app you can tap the Instagram logo and there's an option to show only posts from your follows. It's not sticky, unfortunately.

Also if you're on android I recommend:

distractionfreeapps.com/

They make a bootleg version of the app with the ability to remove certain feeds, e.g. reels, discover, stories

iib |root |parent [-]

It's sticky on the web though:

https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following

xeckr |root |parent |previous [-]

Too bad that would hurt their bottom line.

deafpolygon |previous [-]

My solution is rather simple: don’t use Instagram.