Instagram recently announced that they are considering a massive change to how you engage with your network: hiding the like count on photos so people can’t see how many people have liked your posts. The unreleased feature aims to encourage audiences to focus on ‘what is being shared’ instead of how many people are liking it.
Ashley Carmen, a writer at The Verve says Instagram reported they are not currently testing the feature but always looking at ways to reduce the pressure on its platform. The news falls within days of an announcement from the British Information Commissioner recommending that Instagram, along with similar platforms, allow this native feature to be turned off with the hopes of protecting the safety and privacy of some of its youngest users.
We all know that likes or the lack of can be quite discouraging at times but likes also help inspire people post and be more thoughtful with content. Would you post more freely without the pressure of how your posts will perform? Will everyone? I guess we will have to wait and see.
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-Allison Beck
VP of Client Relations and Partnerships