Instagram is testing a new feature that will hide the “like’ count on your Instagram post. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, is currently running the test in seven countries that is Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand.
“We want Instagram to be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves. We hope this test will remove the pressure of how many likes a post will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love,” Facebook Australia and New Zealand director of policy Mia Garlick said in a media statement.
What does this mean?
- Instagram users will no longer see the total number of likes on other people’s posts
- Instead of seeing the number of people who have liked the post you will see one user who has liked the post followed by the phrase ‘and others’
- Only the account users will see the number of likes a post received with their names
- It will not affect analytic tools like insights and Ad Manager used by creators and businesses on the platform.
Instagram plans to remove the ‘Like’ count button in hopes that this feature will help people focus on the content they create rather than how people view it. You sometimes find that some people usually remove the Instagram posts that get fewer likes.
What does this mean for influencers if it implemented?
Do not panic!
The number of your followers will still show so businesses will use that and you can send them a screenshot of the number of likes your posts get because as a user you get to see the number likes on your posts. Therefore, with Instagram plans to remove the ‘Like’ count button you will still get business and sponsorships.
This comes while Instagram is introducing new tools and policies to prevent bullying on the app. This new tool is called Restrict which allows users to control how others contact them and interact with their accounts. Instagram also announced their disable policy, which will alert users when their accounts are at risk of being disabled for repeatedly violating their policies.