Likes and comments have been the lifeline of social media apps since the don of their existence. However what if you get up one sunny day and the “likes” count on your post juts go whoosh?
Well, it is not a dream anymore, as the photo-sharing app, Instagram, in the next series of test in the US, is all set to hide likes on a user’s post from its app.
We’re currently running a test that hides the total number of likes and video views for some people in the following countries:
✅ Australia
✅ Brazil
✅ Canada
✅ Ireland
✅ Italy
✅ Japan
✅ New Zealand pic.twitter.com/2OdzpIUBka— Instagram (@instagram) July 17, 2019
This means Instagram users in the US will no more be able to see the number of likes on the posts on their Feed, the web version and also the user’s own profile. The news was confirmed by the CEO of Instagram, Adam Mosseri.
Instagram is currently hiding likes on posts in Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand as part of its expanding test where they would hide the number of likes on posts to boost genuine interaction.
“As you scroll through your feed, there are no like counts,” Mark Zuckerberg had said at F8. “You can see who liked a photo or video, you can tap through to see [the list], and if you have the time you can add them all up yourself.”
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The key thing to note is that even if your followers won’t be able to see the number of likes on your posts, you would be able to. To see the number of likes on your post, all you need to do is tap on “others” under the post.
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Buying followers and likes on Instagram is a common phenomenon among influencers and brands on Instagram who lure people with numbers. By hiding the number of likes on posts, Instagram is mulling to promote authentic communications between people.
