Instagram to trial 'hiding' likes on posts

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If it is stressing people out they could just not use it :dontknow:

TBH yeah, i;d like to see users taking a tiny toty bit of responsibility for themselves. But that;s just not how we live now, it's gambling all over again.

Reply 21

BLD1001

Original post by thestudent33

Doesn't that the defeat the point of having social media

it doens defeat the whole point of social media, all they want to do is stop users seeing the number of likes on a post so it stops other users seeing the posts and being pressured by the (for example the other 4,000 likes the post has got) and people are being picked on for only 10, 11 likes per post where as their other friends may be getting 100 odd

Reply 22

Obolinda

Volunteer Team

Original post by CoolCavy

If it is stressing people out they could just not use it :dontknow:

Maybe because they enjoy it? Social pressures... Lot's of things stress me out but I don't stop doing it because I'd have no life or things that I enjoy.

There are things sm can do to help ppl

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 23

BLD1001

Original post by Obolinda

Maybe because they enjoy it? Social pressures... Lot's of things stress me out but I don't stop doing it because I'd have no life or things that I enjoy

social media and the internet shouldn't cause stress, anyone has the right to access the internet in some way. If a user is stressed caused by social media like certain posts then it should be the source of the that stress that needs to be detained not the user.

Reply 24

CoolCavy

Volunteer Team

Original post by Obolinda

Maybe because they enjoy it? Social pressures... Lot's of things stress me out but I don't stop doing it because I'd have no life or things that I enjoy.

There are things sm can do to help ppl

What is there to enjoy about it (genuine question) it's just people posting pictures of themselves or their food for some absurd reason. At least on forums etc you can actually have conversation and there is some use for FB and messanger for uni group chats etc.
The only time I wander into Instagram is to look at some BPD memes but I don't even go on for that anymore as I get this warning every time about SpongeBob memes being a 'danger to life'.
If people are stressed about getting likes then they need to do some serious self evaluation about what is important in life. Coddling them further is not going to help this.

Reply 25

Obolinda

Volunteer Team

I don't use it, but I recognise that not everybody likes what I like. There is still a social networking element of it and social media companies make their products addictive.

I think people getting stressed about seemingly "trivial" things is not abnormal at all. It's part of being human. Invalidating people's feelings because you don't feel it's "important" is not helpful either. If disabling seeing others like is going to alleviate whatever problem they face when using sm and allow them to carry on using something they enjoy(at a healthy amount) than I don't see the problem and why it's been met with hostility. Although, maybe there should talk about better features than this.

Original post by CoolCavy

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 26

RazzzBerries

Chat Forum Helper

I don’t agree with this, actually. I think that if likes aren’t on display, the user might be even more curious and paranoid to find out their number of likes. What Instagram and other social media platforms need to do is find a way for people with mental health problems to not be obsessed with the number on their screens, without having to erase normality.

Reply 27

username3973192

Original post by RazzzBerries

Good point

Reply 28

absolutelysprout

never cared about likes anyway but i doubt this'll have little positive impact.

Reply 29

BenK64

Original post by RazzzBerries

What’s normal about seeing how many individuals ‘liked’ someone else’s post/picture? Is there any reason to know this information?

And i do think removing the numbers will help insecurities and obsession. When i started uni this year, I would spend ages looking at myself in the mirror before I left, checking how i look, fixing my hair etc. Eventually I got fed up with how self-obsessed I had become so I covered the mirror with a poster, and I make sure to never check how I look before leaving the flat. It didn’t make me more paranoid but the opposite- it’s a huge weight off your shoulders when you realise how pointlessly self concerned you once was. Removing numbers won’t add to paranoia but free your mind from a futile and meaningless anxiety. And for those who dont have this problem, what are they losing from this if they dont care for numbers anyway?

Reply 30

MidgetFever

Those that have made a "career" out of it I can't imagine will be happy with this, since likes seem to be a vein measure of their success.

But for those that don't use it for that reason, I suppose a change could be beneficial, seeking validation on the internet is never healthy anyway.

Reply 31

mnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by StrawberryDreams

Instagram are trialing hiding the number of likes visible on everyone's posts other than your own, in a new experiment due to research that claims that social media 'likes' and engagement can be bad for mental health.

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said it was hoped the change would make the platform a "less pressurised environment".

What do you think? Do you think the pressure of how many likes you get on platforms such as Instagram is real?

What do you think the effect will be on influencers who use Instagram as a way to earn money based on engagement (i.e. likes) if this is rolled out? Would this be the death of the 'social media influencer?'

I think this would be beneficial as its superficialness is obvious, but it is almost irrelevant. I don't think it will last, i think it will lead to reduced engagement, which means instagram will be worth less as online-tech companies use 'clicks/day' as a key metric to the finance valuation side of the business, and given FB is publicly owned the board won't allow billions to be thrown away.

If this did happen, the shear number of 'social media influencers' would decrease, but the bigger names would become more empowered by brands as sponsors will go to people based purely on the number of followers, rather than engagement statistics.

Reply 32

ThomH97

Original post by shadowdweller

Personally I don't see much benefit to this, even assuming the basis behind it is substantial - by being able to see your own likes, surely you'd still have a potential impact on mental health? For instance, you may compare a post you made a few days/weeks/months ago to a current one, and see that it has fewer likes. It's not just others that people compare themselves to, after all.

I was thinking that too, but I guess it is a small improvement. Not seeing for sure that your friend is 'better' than you, and not thinking that your friend thinks they're 'better' than you because of more likes is probably a good thing.

Reply 33

17t.martin

I think it’s an okaish idea, but I would rather not have it. I love making 999 likes 1000 :smile:

Original post by StrawberryDreams

Reply 34

RazzzBerries

Chat Forum Helper

Original post by BenK64

In the circumstance of Instagram, the USP is 'double taps' and likes. It's what made the platform famous in the first place. I'm glad they're trying to solve the arising problem in the community, but I don't think taking away what has been there for so long, since the beginning in fact, away is a good idea.

In terms of self-conscious people, the idea should be acknowledging the likes that influencers and brands have (they make careers out of this, after all), but then learning to not compare. Simply taking it away won't be as effective and tackling the problem head on, imo.

Original post by thestudent33

Good point

Nice to see you as a new FH! :woo:

Reply 35

username3973192

Original post by RazzzBerries

Nice to see you as a new FH! :woo:

Thanks!

Reply 36

ThomH97

Original post by RazzzBerries

How would you tackle it head on? The problem is kids basing their self esteem on perceived relative popularity, which they are using various social media platforms to decide. This move reduces the ability to perceive relative popularity on instagram so that helps, but I'm not sure what else they could do. They don't have the resources to counsel all kids, nor do they have the personal relationship that the kids' parents will (or should).

Reply 37

BlinkyBill

Careers Forum Helper

This is interesting...
'Instagram and Facebook likes, and Snapchat streaks could be banned for young people under new UK rules'

Reply 38

-Eirlys-

Debate & Current Affairs Helper

I don't think it'll be the death of Instagram. It's good that big social media companies are trialling something that could be beneficial to the mental health of its users.

Original post by StrawberryDreams

Reply 39

BLD1001

Original post by BLD1001

Yes i agree, social media platforms were not made for competition, people such as myself feel down when their friends are getting 80-100 likes everytime, baring in mind alot of the time its become a trend and popularity of "You like my posts then i will like yours" this doesnt neccessarily mean they are friends but its just become trend.