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After testing it across several regions earlier in the year, Instagram started hiding ‘likes’ for accounts based in the United States last week. Now, the Facebook-owned company has announced on Twitter it’s rolling the test out on a global scale.
The trial is part of an initiative aimed at making users focus on the quality of the content they are posting rather than on how many likes their posts are receiving. Those users included in the trial won’t see a like-count on other people’s images and videos, but can still see the numbers for their own posts.
Starting today, we’re expanding our test of private like counts globally. If you’re in the test, you’ll no longer see the total number of likes and views on photos and videos posted to Feed unless they’re your own. pic.twitter.com/DztSH0xiq2
— Instagram (@instagram) November 14, 2019
Instagram says feedback on the trial so far has been positive but the company is aware that removing like counts constitutes a fundamental change to its platform and therefore is expanding the test to ‘learn more from our global community.’
It is also aware of the importance of like counts for some of its users, such as influencers who use followers and likes as a currency in sponsorship negotiations, and says it is ‘actively thinking through ways for creators to communicate value to their partners.’, without specifying yet what these ways could be.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)