Where My Likes At?

Do you do it for the ‘Gram?

Have you ever posted a picture of your dog wearing a sombrero just to get a boost in likes after your dud of a post yesterday?

Do you feel a mini euphoria rush over you each time you post and start seeing those Insta notifications on your phone roll in?

Have you felt an overwhelming feeling of “loser-ness” when your post gets only 10 likes (and not even a mercy like from your husband or parents)?

Yeah, me neither.

Instagram is currently testing a new feature in Canada that aims to redirect this behavior.  Essentially, they are hiding like counts from view, so that the focus is more on content and engagement, rather than on like volume. The poster will have the ability to see the likes on their post behind the scenes, but the theory is that the pressure is alleviated when others cannot see the count.

Studies have been conducted looking at the impact of social media on mental health and although there are some benefits, there are also some big negatives such as anxiety, depression, loneliness and negative impact on body image. The goal in the change is also to alleviate some of these stressors.

There is some concern from the influencer community, as their likes are currently part of the algorithm that helps determine their feed rankings and value to brands (note follower count will not be hidden). If this change rolls out in mass, developers will likely need to revisit their algorithms so measure value in other ways.

With likes as the main currency for social media, it will be interesting to see how users react. As with most changes, I suspect there will be resistance followed by acceptance, but I have to wonder if something else will emerge as a new source of currency.