The Pros and Cons of Instagram Hiding Likes on Posts

The sense of validation that came with a well-performing post on Instagram which gathered a large amount of engagement and the feeling of disappointment when posts just didn’t do that well was an essential part of Instagram until now.

Instagram’s change to the like feature has been in the works since 2018. That year, the company began quietly testing hiding likes from posts in seven countries, including Australia and Japan where they have said users reacted positively to the change. The change has now taken place globally, with a percentage of Instagram users testing out the feature. Users who are part of the test will no longer be able to see the total number of likes and views on photos and videos unless the post belongs to them.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri explained the reasoning for the groundbreaking change - “We want people to worry a little bit less about how many likes they’re getting on Instagram and spend a bit more time connecting with the people that they care about,” he said during Facebook’s annual developer conference, F8.

But how will this affect the professional beauty industry?

Many of us know, that a high number of likes in the professional beauty industry doesn’t just create a feeling of validation but can also lead to opportunities. High performing content in our visual industry serves as a stamp of approval. Independent educators are selling out classrooms, brand ambassadors are landing endorsement opportunities for not only being incredibly talented but also for commanding a following and garnering high likes on Instagram content.

Pros

- The new test is a step in the right direction for removing the anxiety related to social media.

- Users can like content that they feel compelled to love, as opposed to being influenced by the number of likes already on the post.

- This change could lead to new authentic, real content from users who don’t feel the pressure of keeping up with Instagram trends.

- Greater transparency between brands and the influencer. As the brands will not be able to see the number of likes on an Instagram post, there will be a greater encouragement to use “in partnership with” Instagram option which allows the brand to see full statistics of an Instagram post they are collaborating on.

- As users will be able to see their own insights, they will still be able to push themselves further to provide great content.

Cons

- It will be harder for brands to identify a user’s actual influence, as well as that, it will be hard for brands to judge the difference between a new and well-established influencer.

- In such a landscape, it will be a lot easier for bots and inauthentic followings to grow as users will not be able to see these statistics.