Instagram Likes Are Going Away?!

Don’t freak. Here’s the short & sweet version.

Instagram has announced that it is testing “hiding likes” on various accounts all over the globe. The November 14th announcement caused quite an uproar, with some influencers threatening to leave the platform altogether in response. A bit dramatic, but that’s influencers for you.

Here’s what you need to know:

• They’re not removing likes entirely. They’re removing the public display of the number of likes a post gets. The profile owner would still be able to see how many likes a post has, but only if they choose to do so. Followers would still see the names of those who have liked a post listed below (where likes are currently displayed). So for example, rather than a number of likes, it would read “liked by HoneyHex and others.”
• It’s already happening. They’re already testing this with accounts worldwide, and started in certain countries as far back as April. But now it’s getting real for American companies and influencers as the tests starts to roll out in the U.S. There’s no public timeline, per se, but chances are you already know someone who has their likes hidden, and it could be you at any time.
• The reason behind it is actually pretty great. Instagram’s decision is geared toward improving mental health. Adam Mosseri, Instagram CEO, explained the decision to Wired, “We will make decisions that hurt the business if they help people’s well-being and health…It means we’re going to put a 15-year-old kid’s interests before a public speaker’s interest.” This is all part of Instagram’s quest to become the “safest place on the internet,” along with improving algorithms to remove offensive content, and looking at ways to specifically weed out bullying.
• There are other logical reasons for the change. Likes are considered a “vanity metric” and don’t contribute to click-throughs or revenue. This change would ideally foster more real engagement and would have no effect on businesses or influencers being able to monetize their instagram presence. As a bonus, it will also weed out influencers who buy fake likes.

With over 1 billion active monthly users worldwide, Instagram is one of the most reliable and profitable apps for businesses and influencers. Their social commerce tools are leading the way in terms of trackability of success. But this change shouldn’t affect any of that. The real engagements that businesses want are still up for grabs. If anything, the change will only remove distractions.

Instagram is actively trying to make social media more positive and authentic, and that is rare in the world of the internet. Removing likes may actually create more connection. Bravo, Instagram! I’m eager to see how this plays out.

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HoneyHex
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