We’ve decided that this Instagram update is interesting enough to deserve its own moment in the spotlight. If you’ve read our previous blog, you know that Instagram and Facebook are rolling out a new update for their users. After a couple of years of debating, researching, and testing, Instagram and Facebook will now give users the option to choose whether or not to hide ‘like’ counts across the platform. Keep reading to learn more.
What to Know
This update is unique in two ways. First, Facebook and Instagram are allowing users to choose whether or not they want to engage with this feature. Second, if users do choose to engage, there are multiple visibility options to choose from for hiding likes. Here are the visibility options and how to change them via Instagram (the function will be live on Facebook in the coming weeks).
To hide the like counts on all posts in your feed:
- Go to your Instagram Settings
- Click on “Privacy”
- Click on “Posts”
- Click the button next to “Hide Like and View Counts”
To hide the like counts on your future posts:
- Select the photo or video you want to post to your Instagram Profile and click “Next”
- Choose your filters (if any) and click “Next” again
- Scroll to the bottom and click on “Advanced Settings”
- Click the button next to “Hide Like and View Counts on This Post”
To hide the like counts on past posts:
- Click on the image from your own personal feed
- Click on the 3 dots at the top right-hand corner
- Click “Hide Like Count”
- If you still would like to see the likes after hiding them, click on “View Likes” underneath the photo. This is not visible to other users.
The Pros and Cons of Hiding Your ‘Likes’
An update like this is bound to bring about controversy. While this is a relatively small update, it has the potential to have a profound impact on how people interact with the platform itself, as well as each other.
Pros
The feature itself is incredibly flexible. This was intentional and aims to, “… relieve some of the pressure that arises with equating engagement to worth” (Phua 2021). Without this pressure to “perform” it is Facebook’s and Instagram’s hope that users will focus on more meaningful interactions. Removing the like feature can also alleviate some of the pressure of comparison while can promote quality over quantity regarding interactions on the platforms.
Cons
If users on the platform begin to make a move away from ‘likes’, influencers, brands, and businesses alike may have difficulty keeping track of their perceived success. These entities rely on engagement levels to prove themselves to their stakeholders, while also taking advantage of vast audiences for marketing purposes.
How do you feel about this new Instagram update? Do you think that you’ll give it a shot? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Phua, Asia. Instagram Gives Users the Option to Hide ‘Likes’, blog.planoly.com/instagram-hiding-likes?utm_campaign=EG.Marketing.PG.Newsletters.Free&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=130694288&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–pHwhEaGcXJosrtvZch0uUJAUehEu_rMuD4bPlgQZCJ_8UgjcmAC3HRLMjQK2Q2OSrIWvWO1XruqYFwAGopqrtw6OQag&utm_content=130209885&utm_source=hs_email.