Currently, the parent company Facebook, has been testing this idea for its’ users in seven other countries such as Canada, Ireland, Brazil and Australia. They hope that by removing the “like” counts, Instagram can become a safer space on the internet by shifting away from the negativity of an image-based community to one that is concerned for the overall wellbeing of its users.
How does it work?
- At first, only “some” users will be chosen to test out this feature. For those chosen, they may receive a message on their profile notifying them they have been selected to test and that “like” counts will be hidden from the main newsfeed.
Will my “likes” disappear?
- Count totals will only be hidden for posts in the main newsfeed section. However, as the profile owner, you will still be able to view count totals received on each post as always.
Will you still be able to “like” other posts?
- Yes, users can continue to “like” posts as normal. Instead of seeing a total count, Instagram will now show a list of usernames who have also “liked” the post.
What does it mean for you?
- For now, the impact is minimal and will only affect profiles who have been chosen to test. Instagram has not said how many users or for how long this testing will last. Because of this, the impact on the platform has yet to be determined and whether they will keep this in place.
We think this is the prime opportunity for users to refocus the quality of their content! Don’t rely on count totals to steer your content. Instead, get creative, get creating quality content and find a clear voice for your audience.
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