Instagram has finally released an official feature to hide the number of likes on its platform. Then, what is the reason?
The plan to hide the number of likes has come from 2019. When there were many questions about the effect of social networking on mental health, Instagram announced a trial of displaying a feed without likes.
At that time, image uploads were tested without the number of likes seen by the public. Meanwhile, people who upload can still see the number, as quoted from The Verge, Friday (28/5/2021).
Reasons for Removing Likes
“It’s about young people. The idea is to try and lower the pressure on Instagram, make it not a competition, give people more space to focus on connecting with loved ones, the things that inspire them. But it’s really young people focus,” explained the boss of Instagram, Mosseri.
During its launch a few days ago, Instagram stated that according to some parties, not seeing the same amount was beneficial for some people and disturbing for others. Because the amount is also used for something that is trending.
“Mainly because people use the same amount to understand what is trending or popular, so we gave a choice,” said Instagram in a post on its official blog.
On the other hand, a report from The New York Times said many studies have found limited evidence linking smartphone use or social networking with changes in mental health.
Social networking is not good for teenagers or anyone else. However they have little effect on mental health. If the assumptions are correct, it makes sense that any changes to the user interface in the application will only have a limited effect.
On Instagram, this feature appears as an option, not mandatory. It seems that this option will be adopted by many social networks in the future. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey estimates that later users will be able to choose a different feed ranking algorithm.
How to Eliminate the Number of Likes on Instagram:
- Enter your profile, click the three-line icon at the top right of the screen.
- Enter the Settings menu and proceed to the Privacy menu.
- There will be a Posts menu, after which activate Hide Like and View Counts.
Users can also hide their own likes per post. You do this by clicking the three dot icon on the post. After that select Hide Like Count.
In addition, before uploading to the Instagram feed, users can also hide the number of likes, namely by:
- The last screen before uploading new posts, at the bottom of the screen there will be an Advanced Settings menu.
- Select the Advanced Settings menu.
- After that at the top of the screen, activate the Hide Like and View Counts on This Post option.
