If there is a reason why people do silly things on social media it is because of the “likes”, which in a way validates what they have done. However, as you might have heard, Instagram had previously started to toy around the idea of hiding likes on its platform, where it basically hid the number of likes a post got.Now in a post on Twitter, Instagram has announced that they will be expanding on that test, where it will now be tested on a global scale. Previously, the feature was being tested in select markets, but now it looks like Instagram will be testing it out on a much wider audience. It is a controversial change, but Instagram claims that feedback so far from the various test markets has been positive.
According to Instagram, “While the feedback from early testing in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand has been positive, this is a fundamental change to Instagram, and so we’re continuing our test to learn more from our global community.” The company adds, “In addition, we understand that like counts are important for many creators, and we are actively thinking through ways for creators to communicate value to their partners.”
Starting today, we’re expanding our test of private like counts globally. If you’re in the test, you’ll no longer see the total number of likes and views on photos and videos posted to Feed unless they’re your own. pic.twitter.com/DztSH0xiq2
— Instagram (@instagram) November 14, 2019
Like we said, it is a controversial change but whether or not it will have a negative impact on content creators remains to be seen, but if you’re using Instagram and no longer see the number of likes on posts, then it looks like you’re part of the test.
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