Instagram to hide your likes

The idea behind the experiment is to create a friendlier and safer environment for the younger generation


Tech Desk November 11, 2019
PHOTO: AFP

Instagram is working on hiding the number of likes each post receives, this till date is one of the most controversial and crucial experiments conducted by the company.

The social media giant will roll out the experiment in the US starting next week; users of the social media app will find their likes disappeared overnight.

The announcement was made by Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri at the WIRED25 conference.

The idea behind the experiment is to create a friendlier and safer environment for the younger generation.

"It's about young people," Mosseri said.

"The idea is to try and depressurise Instagram, make it less of a competition, give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love, things that inspire them."

The number of likes will be visible only to the account owners and not the followers in a separate section of the app.

"We have to see the effects it has on how people feel about the platform, how it affects how they use the platform, how it affects the creator ecosystem," Mosseri said.

So far, the experiment has not been well received amongst users especially influencers who believe that the change will harm their ability to monetise their posts.

It isn’t clear whether this would be a permanent change or not.

This article was originally published by Mashable.

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