Instagram likes may soon be removed from platform
The removal of Instagram likes is being tested in New Zealand, Italy, Australia and others.
Instagram is looking to hide likes on posts, marking a massive change in the Influencer-abundant social media platform that feeds so heavily off of how many likes you have.
You may be wondering, “What’s the point of social media without likes?”
Don’t worry, you will still be able to ‘like’ posts; however, you won’t be able to see how many people you are joining in liking said post.
Instead of a number, posts will show that “others like this.”
And, users will still be able to see the number of likes of their own content.
Mia Garlick of Facebook Australia and New Zealand said: “We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love.”
What about Influencers?
According to some influencers, “likes” bolster earning power, with fear that the hiding thereof possibly taking away this “backbone” of influencing.
“I think it’ll be really hard to start being an influencer,” Perth-based adventurer Zak Hasleby told the website Pedestrian. “You won’t have any backbone to show you have heaps of likes, and businesses won’t be able to see the likes.”
Nasser Sultan, beauty blogger and TV personality, is worried about the decline of his status, saying:
“It is outrageous that I don’t look like a celebrity now and people can’t see how popular I am with my posts,” he said in Pedestrian. (Boo-hoo)
Some influencers, however, are welcoming the change:
“If your mood or happiness is being impacted by ‘number of likes’ on a post then it’s probably time to step back and this hopefully helps,” health and fitness influencer Sam Wood told PopSugar. “Let’s all spend a little less time on social media and more time with our family and friends and taking care of ourselves.”
Time will tell whether this game of hide-and-seek with Instagram likes will assimilate into the platform or become a distant memory of “that time Instagram tried to hide likes, lol.”
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