Instagram has been testing out a new change which will totally redefine how the app works: hiding likes from pictures. You’ll still be able to see your own likes, but no one else will. And you won’t be able to see the number of likes on anyone else’s profile either.
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, has stated this change is to help users “focus on the content they’re posting and not on the likes they get” because for years people have complained about how it leads to excessive comparison and mental health issues among teens. He even stated “We will make decisions that hurt the business if they help peoples’ mental health!”
While this might sound like a noble idea, some argue that the real reason was to increase profits for the company. The idea is that hiding likes might make users post more photos, and increase overall engagement among users within the app.
By hiding the number of likes that influencers and big Instagram profiles receive and monopolizing this data, brands will not be able to know which Instagram page to partner with to advertise since they can’t measure how popular a post is and how much engagement it is truly getting. They will instead have to partner with Instagram for boosting their post and promoting their product.
While this might not affect a regular user, this will definitely impact online businesses and people who earn a living off creating content on social media. But the good news is, maybe now we can stop relying on social media for seeking validation and instead look at it as a place where we can truly express ourselves instead of constantly trying to impress others.
What are your thoughts? Is this a good move or is Instagram just using this as a guise for increasing their profits? Leave your thoughts below and let us know!