First it was removing the follow tab, now Instagram is taking away the likes on photos. We are used to seeing Instagram algorithm changes, but why this big change? It’s a bold move for a platform that revolves around people sharing their day-to-day activities and accumulating likes. What does this new change mean and how will it affect businesses?
Let's unpack this...
First, a little clarification. In this new Insta-world, your followers will not be able to see how many people like your photo anymore, but you can still get that number by clicking on it. (Kind of like the current Instagram video model). However, no one else will be able to see this information. This can be a good and a bad thing for a couple of different reasons.
Next, let’s talk about the things we don’t know.
- Will posts still travel organically through engagement since you can’t see likes anymore? If not, how will organic posts travel and how will this affect both individuals and businesses?
- Will it be the same for paid posts? Or will paid posts showcase the amount of likes your posts receive?
- Will this change affect Facebook at all, or just Instagram?
We may not have answers to these questions at the moment, but I am sure we will be finding out soon. Now to decide if this is a good or a bad change.
From a mental health standpoint, getting rid of likes is a good thing. For some living in an unhealthy world of validation, social media can be brutal, that is no trade secret. Constantly monitoring your popularity becomes a competition, and comparison really is the thief of joy.
From the business viewpoint, it could go both ways.
Taking away platform likes from consumers might be very harmful to companies. Oftentimes people will see a product and are not sure how they feel about it. Seeing that the product and company have a decent amount of likes helps push the consumer to buy it and establishes immediate brand trust. Today consumers care more about the company and its employee values and crave authenticity. Stripping this validation absolutely hurts established brands that have a proven social following.
On the other hand, it could be a good thing. It could potentially help small businesses gain more business. By not showing the number of likes that a post has, people will have to act simply off the merits of the post and not like sheep herded by popularity into the pen.
There is no telling for sure how this will affect business on Instagram, but it will be interesting to see.
What are your thoughts on this + what questions do you have? Let us know in the comments below!