Is Instagram Hiding Likes on Photos?
Instagram Is Going to Experiment With Hiding "Likes," So Get Ready to Ditch the Double Tap
Like it or not, Instagram is about to look different for a handful of users in the United States. At Wired25 on Nov. 8, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced the photo-sharing app would be experimenting with hiding "like" counts on posts for select users starting on Monday. This follows a similar experiment the platform conducted a few months ago in New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Australia, Brazil, and Italy.
Mosseri explained the change was prompted by a desire to "depressurize Instagram, make it less of a competition and give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love, things that inspire them." As part of the test, affected accounts will be able to see their own "likes," but not the metrics of the people they follow or other users. Even if users are selected to be part of the test group, they will have the ability to opt out.
Instagram users have expressed mixed reactions in the days following Mosseri's announcement. On one hand, people are praising the decision to emphasize connection and move away from a "likes"-based culture. On the other, influencers who use the platform to market products are understandably upset and will inevitably be impacted. Rapper Cardi B even chimed in on Sunday to ask whether Instagram's commenting feature should be disabled before "likes."
Ahead, see some reactions to the big change.
