Instagram announced in May an important change that was not well received by many influencers. But the step is understandable - now things are getting serious. The test phase with hidden like numbers is being extended.
Maybe some of you missed the announcement at the time. Here's a quick look back. Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announced in May that he wanted to hide like counts in the future. Subscribers will no longer be able to see how many likes a picture or video has - but the creator himself will still be able to see the number of interactions. But why the change? According to Mosseri, Instagram users should no longer be influenced by like counts but should focus more on the actual content - this step would bring the different content into much greater focus. Many influencers do not like this step at all, and the reactions worldwide were accordingly.
The test phase with hidden like numbers was already started in Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand in the summer. Now it is to be expanded to the USA - starting next week. Mosseri announced this on Friday evening at the Wired25 conference the innovation and emphasized that Instagram's plan is intended to help young people in particular. In an interview, he said:
"It's about young people. The idea is to put pressure on Instagram, to make it less of a competition, to give people more space to focus on connecting with people they love, things that inspire them, but it's really about young people."
As has now become known, the test in the USA will not affect all users equally. Selected people will be notified directly by the social media service. It remains to be seen when the like numbers in Instagram will be hidden worldwide. Facebook has also already announced such a change - read more here. (Photo by deagreez / Bigstockphoto)
