Instagram gives users option to hide likes – Everett Post

(NEW YORK) – Good news for Instagram users!

The social media app for sharing photos now offers users the option to hide likes, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, announced exclusively on ABC News’ Good Morning America on Wednesday.

The new feature, also available on Facebook, includes two new settings, one that allows users to turn off likes when scrolling the feed and one that allows users to turn off likes for their own posts.

Instagram announced in July 2019 that it would test hiding likes in some posts. At this point, the goal is to allow users and their followers to focus on the photos and videos you’ve shared, not the number of likes you’re getting. “

With the new option, some Instagram users, influencers in particular, are wondering if their content is just as valuable with their photo-like numbers hidden.

According to Instagram, their new option allows users to tailor their social media experience to their specific preferences.

Haven Shepherd, a Missouri Paralympic swimmer, was one of the beta testers who tried Instagram’s new approach to the “Like” button. She told GMA that it is a particularly good idea for teens to make Instagram posts less comparative when using the app.

“I’m just saying this, this is who I am, this is what I go through and what we will see, what happens from here,” she said of the new approach.

Schuyler Bailar, an LGBTQ + lawyer and trans athlete, also tested the new feature, saying he believed it could “change” the idea of Instagram as a “popularity contest.”

“I think that looking at these metrics can often be triggering for a lot of people, or if it doesn’t trigger it can be difficult because it numbers everything in their experience,” he said. “I think if we can then focus more on the message we’re getting through the posts, the content of the post, rather than checking the likes, it can really change the idea of the popularity contest.”

Bailar, who was compensated for making videos for Instagram, said he likes the idea of making Instagram posts less about reaction.

“There are numbers for literally everything these days,” he said. “We can be obsessed with it, or worse, attach our self-esteem to it, especially when it’s things that we make.”

The new function will be introduced on Wednesday and, according to Instagram, should be available to all users within two to three days.