Instagram’s attempt at removing like counts has not gone over well in the countries the company has tried it out in and that might be enough to get the feature scrapped entirely.
At least, that’s what “influencers” are hoping, many of which decry Instagram’s proposed change that would remove one of their biggest metrics for both business purposes and otherwise. Why is Instagram thinking about getting rid of likes, or at least making them only visible to the account owner? Well, Internet bullying is a big part of it, but there’s also a push to generate more original content and “authentic” moments on the platform. After all, things have become somewhat predictable lately on most big Instagram accounts. Perhaps this is their attempt at keeping things fresh.
Australian model Mikaela Testa hated the changes, and she made it known, writing, “Regardless of what you may think, Instagram is a REAL job and those in the industry have worked hard to get where they’re at…I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into this for it to be ripped away, it’s not just me suffering too, it’s every brand and business I know.Women For Women International.”
You might remember her from the headline making news story about the Instagram influencer that lost her mind on video. But she’s not the only person that is absolutely hating this idea. And, to be fair, there’s a lot to their argument. If you’re trying to sell advertising on Instagram through promoted posts and things like that, engagement matters. It’s that simple. Whether or not publically visible engagement matters is probably another question entirely but there is that old adage that other people are more likely to participate in something if a bunch of other people already are. That is, previous numbers of likes might be seen as a validation of the post whether or not it merits it or not.
PetaPixel’s DL Cade argues that it helps level the playing field for smaller influencers in many ways by hiding the likes of people like Kylie Jenner and others who make millions of dollars per post as well as pull in millions of likes.
What do you think? Do visible likes matter? Or do you think getting rid of likes makes everything better in the end? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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4 Comments
Best thing IG has ever done. “Influencers” are a cancer.
Thanks for your comment Deacon!
“Influencers” are both a cancer and a victim. They sometimes don’t understand how replaceable they are.
When the product is free, you are the product! 🙂 Thank you for your comment Dirk.