Back in July, the removal of the visibility of like on Instagram started off in Canada and has since expanded to 6 other countries- Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and now finally the US.
In case some of you don’t know what this whole hiding likes ordeal is all about. This feature is said to hide the number of likes on both photos and videos on your Instagram.
Instagram clarified that the reason for the implementation of this system is so that users would focus more on the content produced and less on the likes of the photo or video.
Countless influencers have voiced out, saying that this newly implemented feature would be difficult for the new and upcoming influencers to grow and build a following. Brands and social media agencies would also have a hard time gauging the engagement rate of any influencers.
There have been mixed responses on this. It has been said that some of the netizens are welcoming this new feature while there are also those who say that this might encourage more users on Instagram to buy followers.
Will this truly help us focus more on content? Or is it a big flop in the making? Whatever it may be, let us wait for the official statistics on how much this truly affects the users of Instagram.
One of the notable rappers in the US has boycotted Instagram. Minaj took it to Twitter to talk about the issue, stating this:
“I’m not posting on IG after this week cuz they removing the likes. Hmmmm what should I get into now? Think of all the time I’ll have with my new life.”
I’m not posting on IG after this week cuz they removing the likes. Hmmmm what should I get into now? Think of all the time I’ll have with my new life
— Mrs. Petty (@NICKIMINAJ) November 9, 2019
Will Instagram target Malaysia next to hide the like feature? If so, what do you guys think of Instagram hiding likes? Let us know in the comments below
Header image: NewsHub