Instagram’s hidden likes A sweet dream or a nightmare? Instagram hiding likes: A sweet
dream or a nightmare? Ever imagined what it would be like to scroll through Instagram and not see the number of likes under the posts? Instagram tested this somewhat peculiar feature in Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil and Australia in 2019.
“Always feeling prepared to be a lab rat for one of the Tech Giants” While reading the news, I was constantly thinking if and when the Netherlands would be taken in consideration for the grand experiment. Always feeling prepared to be a lab rat for one of the Tech Giants. The aims of the no-likes feature: making people feel less anxious and reducing social comparison. This is what the CEO of Instagram said when asked about why this was being tested. We are living in a world
where mental illnesses are prevalent. Being offered such a positive statement, it was almost as if the update was changing Instagram into a quick fix for the wrongs that it has been previously been doing. Studies have shown that there is a link in between social media usage and mental health issues. Unsurprisingly, Instagram is one of the most detrimental social media for young people. Well, I truly think the world needs a social media app that would generate less pressure. But we do desire what we do not have – quality over quantity in the Information Age. The quantity problem comes in connection to all who make money through Instagram. Nowadays, the number of followers is seen to have lost a bit of its importance. Other numbers matter, though. Posts from different pages can reach people that are not directly following them, engagement mattering more and more. And, of course, engagement
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