There have been talks of Instagram removing likes from the platform for a while now, and this decision has been met with mixed reviews.
Many Instagram users are concerned that without being able to see the likes count, engagement with posts is going to go down. However, psychiatrists are saying that these measures must be implemented to stop the increasing level of depression in millennials caused by social media.
The whole argument can be summed up in the single question of what’s more important; the validation of influencers or the mental health of young people?
Too Much Pressure On Instagram?
Instagram is saying that this is the first in a series of steps it is hoping to take to improve the overall Instagram ‘ecosytem.’ Instagram wants to depressurise the platform for young people who are focused too much on how many likes a post receives.
Many users admit to feeling the pressure of making sure that the content they post is ‘Insta-worthy.’ If they post a picture that does not receive as many likes as they think it should, they then question the worthiness of the post and sometmes even the worthiness of their account.
Instagram The Worst Platform For Mental Health?
The problem lies with young people feeling inadequate on these social media platfroms. This ‘popularity contest’ as it has been called is also leading to rising cases of depression amongst younger generations.
In fact, a recent study conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that Instagram was the worst out of all the social media platforms for things like body image, negativity and effects on sleep.
But what does it mean for everyday users, bloggers and even high profile influencers?
Full-time influencers use likes as one of the primary metrics for gauging interest from their followers when they post. It helps them make decisions in the future about content and who it will appeal to, and removing this information leaves a big hole in their feedback from audiences.
Instagram Bot Follower Has You Covered
The good news is that if you are using our IBF or Hyper platforms, you will still be able to see the likes counter under the Analytics tab. We recognise the demand that people have for this information, so will do our best to keep this data accessible on our platform.
Influencer Tool Hashtag Paid Wants To Know More
Hashtag Paid is an Instagram tool that helps link companies to influencers. They are suggesting that this move will decrease the number of average likes across the platform, however, it should increase the number of post on a daily basis.
They conducted a survey shortly after the release of the trial in Canada, where they asked 200 Instagram influencers what they thought of the changes.
The results were very varied, however, they found that there was support in favour of both sides of the argument.
- 55% of respondents said the number of likes they receive fell dramatically
- 1/3 of creators say they are experiencing fewer comments
- half of the respondents say follower growth has slowed
- 60% had something positive to say about the changes
- 25% of creators say they are less happy than they were before
There is far less data on the effects of the changes on audiences. It will be interesting to see how the changes affect this area of Instagram, as ultimately creators and audiences rely on each other.
