Instagram offers multiple ways to reduce interactions with annoying and unwanted people on the platform. Users can remove, restrict, or block disruptive followers on Instagram, with each method having its own pros and cons. While restricting a follower helps users hide those people's comments, likes and direct messages without letting them know anything is amiss, blocking prevents them from interacting with the account entirely, including commenting, liking or direct messaging.
Users can also remove followers to reduce their interaction with irritating people on Instagram. When a follower is removed, that person isn’t notified of their removal. The only way they'd know is if the remover's account was set to 'Private,' in which case the removed user would no longer be able to see the remover's posts, etc. Also, when someone is removed as a follower, their previous likes and comments will remain on the remover's posts.
The option to remove followers was not initially available for 'Public' accounts, but that changed a few years ago when the feature was rolled out for all Instagram accounts, irrespective of whether they're set to 'Public' or 'Private.' To remove a follower, tap on the profile avatar at the bottom-right corner of the Instagram home screen and then select 'Followers' to see the entire follower list. Now locate the follower that needs to be removed and hit the 'Remove' button next to their username. Instagram will ask for a confirmation, so hit 'Remove' once again, this time on a slide-out menu, to confirm the decision. Once that is done, the follower will be removed for good.
Removed Followers Can Re-Follow Public Accounts
It is worth noting that even after a follower is removed, they will still be able to interact with the remover if the latter's account is set to 'Public.' However, the removal will ensure that the latter's content will not show up in the former's feed anymore. Whether or not the removed follower will be able to see the remover's posts or Instagram Stories will depend on the latter's privacy settings.
For public accounts, removed followers will still be able to see everything and even send DMs to the remover. They will also be able to re-follow that account unless they are blocked for good. For private accounts, removed followers will not be able to interact with that user or see their content anymore. They may request to re-follow, but that request has to be accepted first before becoming a follower again.
Source: Instagram