66. Can you imagine Instagram without Likes?

Source: TechCrunch

Recently, Instagram removed its “Following Activity’ feature. Very soon, the platform will remove its central feature, its “Likes”. That’s right, the total number of likes on posts will disappear from Instagram’s main feed and profile pages. Surprisingly, the users will be able to see their likes, but their followers won’t know the count. Users will still be able to like content by double-tapping on the post, as they normally would. This can be considered as Instagram’s biggest step since its inception. The company has decided to become the ‘safest place on the internet’ and to ‘depressurize Instagram to make the platform more focused on connections, conversations, and community’. The app has already been testing hiding likes for some users in selected international markets, including the United States, the company’s home turf.

For years now, likes have been central to how users experience social media. It has been wrongly used to measure popularity. The very idea of ‘likes’ has been criticized for making the platform ‘toxic’. Instagram’s decision has been taken positively by many users in the US, who believe that the move will improve well-being on the app. This is important when we take into account the mental health of young adults. According to several studies, Instagram has the most detrimental effect on the mental health for its young users, such as negatively impacting body image. However, other users are of the view that removing likes is not the solution. The main problem with Instagram is the continuous stream of ‘almost-perfect’ images, which leads to psychological issues such as the feeling of being ‘left out’ or thinking that ‘others’ have a better life than their own.

Instagram’s decision will have an adverse impact on the way brands view social media. Removing likes will change the way we look at influencers. Influencers will now have to change their strategy to adapt to the changes. Critics believe that removing the likes will enable influencers to focus on their content. This will also allow influencers to post more freely without the restrictions of posting during the ‘best times’ for more likes. For brands though, it will be difficult for them to find influencers to work with. Hence, brands have already started caring more about the engagement and reach rate, rather than the number of likes on a post. Brands will now start to look at other metrics to reach the target audience.

It is not sure if Instagram will remove the feature permanently soon, and if it does, it will change the way we look at the social media app forever.