Hasta La Ideas

For some time, rumors swirled that Instagram would remove “like” counts from posts as experiments on the effect rolled out across the US and Canada. Now, the platform (as well as its parent, Facebook) have made it possible for users to hide the likes on their posts. This is due to what the team at Instagram is calling an attempt to “depressurize people’s experience,” as the double-tap oftentimes equates to validation that’s tied to mental health. As Thom Waite writes for Dazed, “In 2020, a study published in Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies showed that sharing selfies on Instagram — and, importantly, receiving high numbers of likes and positive comments — is tied to living a happier life.” Instagram didn’t get rid of “likes” altogether, perhaps unsurprising when one considers the influencer industry and the fact that products are shoppable on the platform. Read more at Dazed Digital.

Image courtesy of Instagram