Today was a wild day for social media, as Instagram just rolled out a new update where you can no longer see the number of likes on a post. Gasp. Shocking, we know.
Considering that Instagram is all about the likes these days, it’s a ballsy move. They hid the likes in an effort to “remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love,” said Mia Garlick, Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy.
The update is all about going back to the roots of what Instagram was started for – sharing creativity and pictures of what you love. Instagram wants to push the focus back on telling a story and sharing your interests, rather than doing things to impress other people.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Instagram, as they also recently revealed an update to discourage online bullying by asking users if they really want to post comments that include negative language.
Obvs, the lack of like numbers will have a huge impact on Instagram users, particularly influencers and businesses. I mean, you could scroll through and individually count the likes if you wanted to, but I doubt anyone is bothered for that. We asked a bunch of young people what they thought, and here’s what they had to say.
What Peeps Think Of The Instagram Update
“I don’t really care. I like what I like, I don’t judge accounts based on how many likes they have. ” – Monique, 25.
“I think surface level it can be nothing but good. Personally I’m not fazed by likes and don’t even look at them but I know it affects some people so I guess this would take the pressure off in some way and put everyone on an equal playing field per say.” – Ilana, 22
“Big yes. All [Instagram likes] do is fuel insecurity and the value of social currency. Kanye said it best: it’s like judging someone by their bank account or dick size. Everything at every moment is measured by reactions and constant judgement. I just don’t think it’s necessary or valuable or positive.” – Mitch, 19.
“It’s probably useful for people to be able to see their own likes, for the sake of guaging engagement if Instagram is your living. But generally speaking I don’t think we get much value from seeing likes.” – Samuel, 20.
“I honestly don’t know. All the reasons why I’d like the likes to be there aren’t good reasons. It’s just vanity.” – Maria, 20.
“I’m not really a person who cares much about it, so I think the change is good, because if people are affected by that, then it’s good to not have it in your face anymore. And influencers will still be able to market themselves based on their likes, because they’ll still see it and be able to prove it, right? So I see it as a good thing. But it’s funny – I don’t care about it, but I didn’t realise that I must’ve had something in the back of my mind that clocked that info when scrolling, because I look to that spot on the screen and notice its absence” – Adrianna, 27.
“I’ll def be posting more on my Instagram now that I don’t have to worry about how many likes I’m getting, because that actually holds me back a bit.” – Layla, 23.
“I don’t think it would really change things, to be honest. You can still see engagement through comments. It’s a bandaid solution.” – Zac, 20.
Image Sources: GIPHY, Pexels.
