No more likes on Instagram? Oh no! What will people do if they can’t see who likes anyone else’s pictures? Well, that’s not necessarily the case. Instagram has been working on altering the way that likes are viewed on a person’s feed, versus how likes are viewed from a person’s profile. Some of these changes may throw people through a loop, but they could be seen as positive. Here’s VALLEY’s take on Instagram removing likes.
Whether we want to admit it or not, people hold a lot of value in the number of likes they get on their pictures they post on Instagram. This may be due to several reasons, but more often than not, the number of likes a person gets could essentially determine their level of popularity. This may sound trivial, but it’s true; people care a lot about what others think of them, especially on public platforms such as Instagram.
When we were younger, posting on Instagram was just another hobby — not thinking about the amount of editing that needed to be done, or curating the perfect caption — but rather just sharing life updates in photo-form. However, over time, posting on Instagram has turned into a chore, almost like a part-time job, all in an effort to show off the best parts of our lives. And that’s the thing: Instagram and all other social media platforms are outlets for us to show only the most perfect parts of our lives so that we don’t seem as if we’re flawed in any way.
With Instagram removing likes, people won’t be able to make judgments about others based on how many they have. For whatever reason, everyone bases their initial thoughts of others in regard to their social media presence, but that’s just wrong. The purpose of removing likes has been thought of as a way to create a less pressurized environment where people feel comfortable expressing themselves. In other words, Instagram wants to make efforts in changing their app to be how it was before: a space for people to post pictures without having to worry about the number of likes or comments they receive.
So, once Instagram finally decides to remove likes for real, will people stop caring so much about what they post, or what others think about their pictures? Only time will tell.
