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With all the interesting filters, endless “My Day stories” and all famous celebrities sharing their best OOTD outfits, local and international, Instagram has become a hub for sharing photos with best aesthetics and an influence haven for the young, especially millennials.
But as Instagram announced early Thursday, they are currently conducting an intensive test in seven countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand which aims to hide likes and video views from all followers.
"We want your friends to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get. You can still see your own likes by tapping on the list of people who've liked it, but your friends will not be able to see how many likes your post has received," Instagram said.
How has this happened? Instagram said that this step is in attempt to make the platform less toxic and let users focus on the aesthetic of the content and not how many likes a post has gained. In other words, bid farewell to the popularity contests – for now, since Instagram is still learning how this change might benefit or might not benefit users’ experience.
However, in a reply made by the Director of the UConn Center for Mental Health and Social Media, Sherry Pagoto, this initiative may address one specific issue but it doesn’t completely solve it. The like button is a way for people in a social hierarchy to keep score, but other factors play into as well.
We have also interviewed few people to give you a glimpse of the public's point of view on this issue.
According to a Flight Attendant, Host and Influencer, Geraldine Pig-ao who has more than 3k followers on her IG account, she said that this move has both its pros and cons. This change is bearable for people who do not really care about the likes they get on their posts but merely sharing their passion of photography, like me, and maybe difficult for some who earn money through influence.
Here are some of the responses we got:
“I have always loved posting photos of my travel and passion for photography on my Instagram account. Actually, I spend most of my time in the platform, viewing stories of my favorite influencers. This step could be a misstep and Instagram might lose tons of users because of this.” – Jon Jandonero, Travel Blogger.
“I am up for this. I am actually looking forward for this one. Not that I don’t like having people like my posts but I just don’t mind it. So, this for me is not an issue.” – Paolo Tiongco, ABS-CBN TV Host.
“Instagram is more than just an image-sharing platform, it has also become a key marketing tool for influencers, brands, small businesses and celebrities. The number of likes is a measure of how well these businesses reach their target audience. So, if this disappears, it will be difficult for us, marketers, to measure or test how good our social media campaigns go in the future.” – Brian De La Fuente, Digital Marketing Specialist.
For sure, many celebrities and influencers all across the globe are up against this. But as of the moment, no further announcements were made as to when will Instagram roll this out in other countries.