Albeit in it testing phase, Instagram is likely to become "Likes"-free soon. Should the all mighty "Likes" that has been a trading currency and the hallmark of success or failure by many brands and influencers become a thing of the past, what does this mean?
Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri explained the move as an attempt to combat cyberbullying "The idea is to try and depressurize Instagram, make it less of a competition, give people more space to focus connecting with people that they love, things that inspire them" He said.
For general users
The goal is to get rid of pressure and scrutinize likes, which is likely result in more post from users.
Several researches have shown that while the goal of these platforms is to keep us connected, they've brought negativity to our mental wellness. Causing depression, low self-esteem and anxiety in many users. To improve quality and safety.
As Instagram clearly states in its notification to user, "we want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your post get. During this test, only you will be able to see the total number of likes on your posts.
For brand and influencers
In the past, influencers and brands are so much engrossed with follower counts and likes, rather than sharing high quality content and building great relationships. With a "Likes"-free Instagram, this could be the ideal opportunity for business and brand to build a real connections with consumers and audiences, using high quality and meaningful content.
With the race to get more likes out of the game, influencers and brands need to adjust their focus by ditching vanity metrics, for user generated content, and give audience relatable content they require. Thereby prioritizing authenticity, transparency and quality to the game.
Steering clear of the competition and pressure driven nature that has been the status quo on Instagram, it appears the platform is redirecting the focus to creativity, storytelling and consistency. Going back to the root where likes are given based on credibility, rather than liking based on personality influences, this will strike out posting to get likes, which is the behavior in the past.
For Instagram
In order to be popular or build a profitable business, brand will rely on paid promotions and building post. Bringing more cut to Instagram and more of the influencers spend cake. As suspected by many experts:
"This is only Facebook's way of owning the influence" Times agency Jason Peterson.
Gretta Van Reil, the founder of Heyinfluencer has come out open on her Instagram page, "Instagram's no like trial is less about mental health and more about wanting a further cut of the advertising spend brands are using on influencers"
When it comes to revenue, Instagram is seeking A bigger piece of the pie
How will this works
Hidden likes, as the name suggests means the like won't be completely gone, they will remain hidden from the public. Hence, if you post a video or photo, anyone, even your followers can't see the likes counts. But within your private view, you will have access to the statistics from your end.
So instead of "Liked by user1234 and 76,000 others" audience can only see "Liked by user1234 and others."
From your account, you can view the total like count and users who liked the image.
This Instagram change is what will reveal those with real Instagram pull and those ghosting the game with buying instagram likes are sent back to the drawing table. So the future will all be about authenticity of influencer rather than bloatings.
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