Instagram Testing Hiding ‘Likes’

Facebook-owned Instagram is now considering removing their “likes” feature amid concerns over cyber-bullying.

The ultra-popular photo-sharing platform is attempting to remove some of the social pressures that come alongside certain social media dynamics.

Instagram is testing hiding the total number of likes on Instagram posts in order to see how users react to the changes. It is believed that removing certain metrics of public attention will help alleviate many of the pressures that people, especially the young, face on social media. The choice to test hiding the like feature mirrors a recent, similar move by Twitter. “Later this week, we’re running a test in Canada that removes the total number of likes on photos and video views,” said Facebook on Tuesday, “We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.”

For now, Canadian Instagram users will only be able to monitor the number of likes their own videos receive. User will not be able to see the number of likes on what other people post in a push against bullying over social media platforms.

Instagram has been run by Facebook since 2012. The platform now has one billion active monthly users, and half of these active users use Instagram daily. Cyber-bullying has been taken quite seriously in Canada following several cases of cyber-bullying which have led to teen suicides. A 2017 study cited by Time revealed that Instagram is the worst social media network for mental health and well-being.

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5 years ago