Why Turning Off Instagram Likes Won't Change Your Experience

Instagram’s new update that allow users means well, but, ultimately, it doesn’t make a difference in your social media experience. 

http://forum.kpn-interactive.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=71852&p=93091#p93091

I will say I was initially excited about Instagram opening the feature to all users last week, since I’m no stranger to comparison fatigue on social media. Social media has trained our brains to find validation in the number of likes we get on a post about our lives, so maybe taking away that artificial number might help ease the stress of it all. 

http://www.varshavskoe1.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=57354&p=87818#p87818

However, hiding the like counts on two new posts didn’t provide me with the sense of ease on my self-esteem I was hoping it would, and instead just seemed like a gimmick. 

http://www.flyingfish.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2855175#2855175

Instagram introduced the ability to officially hide the like count on your posts last week. Users can opt-out of the like counts for each post and see "username and others liked this," instead of a specific number. 

http://www.welcome2solutions.com/forum/topics.aspx?ID=48035&PAGE=1

Hiding like counts don’t fundamentally change the Instagram experience or the self-esteem issues associated with social media.

http://www.jersey-thing.com/posting.php?mode=reply&f=11&t=46329#pr152230

Instagram is built on the foundation of user interaction and likes. The more likes you get on a post, the more your photo will show up in someone’s feed, the more possible brand partners will notice, and the more exposure you’re likely to get. 

https://www.pesbox.com/showthread.php?t=6561

The social network initially announced in 2019 it would begin testing the feature with certain users. The possibility of hiding likes got mixed reactions, since many attribe Influencers need the like and engagement, too.

http://www.ttl.co-re.de/forum/showthread.php?tid=79188&pid=250757#pid250757

After testing the feature on a limited number of users over the past few months, Instagram finally opened the option to everyone last week, finding a middle ground by allowing users to decide for themselves how they want to experience the platform. 

http://www.freebeg.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=36532&pid=39066#pid39066

Users now can hide the likes from themselves and have the option to hide the like counts so others can't see them, as well. Instead of showing a number of likes, you just see "username and others" when people like your posts. 

http://forum.moroe.eu/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=48908&p=306376#p306376

I’m not a social media influencer, nor do I have thousands of followers, but I am human, so I do get a self-esteem boost with every like on a photo I post. I opted not to see the likes on two of my posts this past weekend to see how the new feature would affect the average person. 

https://www.grungemessageboards.com/showthread.php?tid=1441&pid=91273#pid91273

While you don’t physically see the number of likes that rack up on a photo, you still get a notification for each and every like, and can see who liked it in your notifications, so you can essentially keep a mental tab of how many likes you’re getting.

https://kamera.al/showthread.php?tid=68&pid=98108#pid98108

There's no indication of how many people interacted with your photo to the outside world, but you still know, so it really didn't make that much of a difference in the experience for me.

https://smf.racingweb.net/index.php?topic=1002902.msg1389125#msg1389125

For me, the problem with Instagram isn’t the ability to see who liked your photo. The features of seeing that someone shared your post or shared your story without any context are far more of a mental health nuisance than a like count. 

http://www.s-server.vip/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=323520&p=877319#p877319

While you can only see instances of someone sharing your posts or story if you label your page as a "professional" account for analytics purposes, if you opt for that, seeing that someone shared your post without knowing who or why can drive some people crazy. 

https://therockandduckshow.net/showthread.php?tid=18145&pid=160440#pid160440

Instagram means well with hiding its like count, but the self-esteem issues of the platform and social media, as a whole, still lurk around every corner of the app. Hiding likes won’t solve the fundamental problems many (myself included) have with social media when it comes to comparing themselves with others, the fear of missing out, and wondering what people really think about you behind that like.

 http://libertyrp.5nx.org/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=154044&p=316458#p316458

Those who want to hide your like count, go for it, but you won’t really notice a difference in your experience. 

http://www.flyingfish.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2855637#2855637

If anything, I think if more and more people hide their like counts—especially more prominent influencers—the comparison aspect of Instagram might lessen since no one would know how "Insta popular" others are.

http://forum.kpn-interactive.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=72001&p=93396#p93396

Facebook and Instagram users now have two new options. They can remove the likes display from their own posts, so nobody can see how many they have received. And they can also disable likes entirely, so the user cannot see them on any posts at all.

http://www.welcome2solutions.com/forum/topics.aspx?ID=40816

But will this make any difference at all? If likes are like crack to validation-seeking teens and adults, then what use is self-regulation? Surely there must be something in it for Facebook, itself?

http://tangoxchange.org/posting.php?mode=reply&f=2&sid=f804a607f2d1601ff50627c5067968f2&t=14098#pr2008491

"I suspect the reason they're pulling back is they've found enough people have become too sensitive to likes, to the point of fixation," Eli Holder, founder of , told Lifewire via email. "If like counts completely substitute your other reasons for sharing, other more intrinsic motivations become less compelling."

https://ciphertalks.com/posting.php?mode=reply&f=7&t=786916#pr1821556

Likes in social media serve many purposes. One is simply a way to bookmark a post. Another is to show the creator that you saw and/or liked their post. It’s when you get to the other side that things become more complicated.