Instagram Following Dataset (Full History) ## Overview This actor performs a deep extraction of Instagram following relationships, capturing comprehensive profile metadata and engagement metrics for each followed account. The dataset provides high-fidelity snapshots of user profiles with temporal consistency, enabling longitudinal analysis and audience intelligence workflows. Data integrity is maintained through structured validation and ISO 8601 timestamp standardization. ## Data Dictionary | Field Name | Data Type | Definition | |-----------|-----------|------------| | external_id | String | Unique identifier assigned to the Instagram account by the platform | | username | String | Instagram handle without the @ symbol | | display_name | String | User-defined public name displayed on the profile | | scraped_at | String (ISO 8601) | UTC timestamp indicating when the data extraction occurred | | is_verified | Boolean | Indicates whether the account has official verification status (blue checkmark) | | is_private | Boolean | Indicates whether the account requires approval to view content | | language_code | String (ISO 639-1) | Two-letter language code representing the account's primary language | | follower_count | Integer | Total number of accounts following this profile at extraction time | | following_count | Integer | Total number of accounts this profile follows at extraction time | | post_count | Integer | Cumulative number of posts published by the account | | profile_stats.avg_engagement_rate | Float | Average engagement rate calculated as (likes + comments) / followers × 100 | | profile_stats.posts_per_week | Float | Average posting frequency calculated over the account's active history | | profile_stats.account_age_days | Integer | Number of days since account creation | | location.city | String | City name extracted from profile location metadata | | location.country_code | String (ISO 3166-1) | Two-letter country code representing the account's declared location | | location.timezone | String (IANA) | IANA timezone identifier associated with the account's location | | engagement_metrics.likes_received_30d | Integer | Total likes received across all posts in the trailing 30-day window | | engagement_metrics.comments_received_30d | Integer | Total comments received across all posts in the trailing 30-day window | | engagement_metrics.mentions_30d | Integer | Number of times the account was mentioned by other users in the trailing 30-day window | | profile_category | String | Instagram-assigned category or industry vertical for the account | | last_post_timestamp | String (ISO 8601) | UTC timestamp of the most recent post published by the account | | has_highlights | Boolean | Indicates whether the account has active Story Highlights | | has_igtv | Boolean | Indicates whether the account has published IGTV content | | account_type | String | Account classification: personal, creator, or business | | bio_links | Array[String] | List of URLs extracted from the profile bio section | ## Sample Dataset Below is a sample of the high-fidelity JSON output: json { "external_id": "f7c89a23e4b5d6789012345", "username": "tech_innovator", "display_name": "Tech Innovator", "scraped_at": "2025-12-19T14:22:31Z", "is_verified": true, "is_private": false, "language_code": "en", "follower_count": 12467, "following_count": 891, "post_count": 342, "profile_stats": { "avg_engagement_rate": 3.2, "posts_per_week": 4.5, "account_age_days": 876 }, "location": { "city": "San Francisco", "country_code": "US", "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles" }, "engagement_metrics": { "likes_received_30d": 45230, "comments_received_30d": 2134, "mentions_30d": 167 }, "profile_category": "Technology", "last_post_timestamp": "2025-12-18T23:15:42Z", "has_highlights": true, "has_igtv": true, "account_type": "business", "bio_links": ["linktr.ee/tech_innovator"] } ## Configuration Parameters To ensure optimal data depth, configure the following: | Parameter | Field Name | Data Type | Required | Example | Description | |-----------|-----------|-----------|----------|---------|-------------| | Target Account | username | String | Yes | Ronaldo | Instagram username, user ID, or profile URL to extract following list from | ## Analytical Use Cases Researchers and analysts leverage this dataset for: - Audience Segmentation: Cluster followed accounts by engagement patterns, account type, and geographic distribution to identify distinct audience personas - Influencer Network Mapping: Construct directed graphs of following relationships to identify key opinion leaders and community structures - Competitive Intelligence: Analyze competitor following lists to discover shared audiences and identify partnership opportunities - Longitudinal Cohort Studies: Track changes in following behavior over time to measure campaign effectiveness and audience evolution - Lead Generation Scoring: Rank potential leads based on engagement metrics, verification status, and account maturity indicators - Content Strategy Optimization: Correlate posting frequency and engagement rates across followed accounts to inform content calendar planning ## Technical Limitations Important Considerations: - Rate limiting is enforced at 200 requests per hour per IP address to comply with platform guidelines - Private accounts return limited metadata (username, display_name, is_private flag only) - Engagement metrics reflect a 30-day trailing window and may not capture seasonal variations - Historical data is not backfilled; scraped_at represents point-in-time extraction only - Accounts deleted or suspended between extraction runs will not appear in subsequent datasets - bio_links array is capped at 5 URLs; additional links are truncated - Location data is self-reported and may not reflect actual geographic presence - Maximum extraction depth is 10,000 following relationships per target account --- Keywords & Tags: instagram scraper, instagram followers export, export instagram followers, instagram follower extraction, instagram followers data, lead generation instagram, instagram data extraction