Here’s everything you need to know about Instagram’s new change
Last month, Instagram launched a test trial in the United States, hiding the number of likes a post receives. The change may not be permanent, and only users included in the test group will lose likes.
According to Business Insider, Instagram has been experimenting with removing likes in Australia, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand since July.
Gabriella Suliga, senior in the College of Arts & Sciences said she was skeptical about the change when she first heard about it, and didn’t think she would like it.
“When I’m scrolling (through my Instagram feed) I like to look at the content, likes and comments to base the value of the photo,” Suliga explained. “So when I found out they were taking (likes) off, I was a little hesitant.”
Suliga said she has gotten used to the change over the past month, and she honestly doesn’t mind it anymore.
While some users are adjusting to a new user experience, Instagram executives may be testing this change for a deeper reason.
Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri told Wired that the change is a step towards Instagram becoming “the safest place on the internet.”
In response to recent criticism, Mosseri said he hopes this change will help people’s well-being and mental health.
A month into the trial, Instagram is monitoring how users react to the change. The trial has received positive feedback in support of its mental health initiative, but it has also been accused of removing likes for selfish, money-driven reasons.
Suliga said she wanted to learn more about Instagram’s motivations for removing likes, so she started to research the change. She said she first read about how it is in support of the next generation and body positivity, but then learned that it could potentially be a response to influencer promotions.
“After reading up on it, I kind of understood,” Suliga said. She explained that influencers would share analytics with Instagram when promoting other brands, but Instagram wouldn’t get a cut of their profit.
“Now because Instagram has cut off those likes, (influencers) lose that metric,” Suliga said.
“It’s a smart move on Instagram’s end, but it does make it harder for influencers to have business,” Suliga said.
She said she hopes Instagram does a little more research into the impact likes have on mental health, so they can share their findings with other platforms who can also use the results.
Joyce Wolburg, Associate Dean of the College of Communication said that as a researcher, she would want to know why Instagram made the number of likes invisible, and if the company has an ulterior motive.
“I suspect that this is about their business model, so they’re going to do what benefits them,” Wolburg said. “It’ll be interesting to see what they claim at the end of this, and whether they have enough credibility for people to believe the real reason is right as opposed to whatever works within their business model.”
While Instagram’s true intentions are unknown, for now, users are left to answer other important questions about the app that has taken over this generation.
“Is it a good thing, is it a bad thing? Is the whole system with likes really good for people? Is it really affecting our culture in a certain way and adding to insecurities, and is it creating mental health issues?,” Wolburg asked.
“I can see that (having likes) is causing a lot of insecurities,” Wolburg said. She said she notices that people make careful decisions about what they post, and if they don’t get enough likes, they might even delete their post.
Suliga said she has noticed this among her peers. “I really think that young people are so absorbed in (the amount of likes they receive),” she said. “Removing the likes and the value of the content will allow (users) to focus on what (they) put out there rather than putting out something that someone else will like.”
