As a test, Instagram will no longer show the number of “Likes” for some users worldwide. “Users who are part of the test can no longer see the total number of likes and views of photos and videos of others in their feed,” explained the photo platform belonging to Facebook on Thursday. The likes for your own posts remain visible to you.
Instagram had previously tried not to display “Like” numbers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand. The feedback from users was positive, it said on Thursday. A background to the idea is “to help people to focus on the photos and videos they share, and not on how many likes they get for them”.
It is unclear exactly how many users will be part of the Instagram likes test. Other Instagram users will no longer see how many likes and views the test participants’ contributions received.
Instagram is looking for a solution
A solution is being sought for content authors for whom the Instagram platform is important for business. They are often dependent on demonstrating their reach to potential business partners – and for this they also need the number of likes. The main platform of Facebook is currently testing the waiver of the display of “Like” numbers in Australia.
