Instagram is Testing the Removal of Likes

Influencers, say goodbye to your favourite social currency

Instagram without likes? The idea of the social network without the world’s primary form of social currency might have been unfathomable in the past, but it looks like it might become a reality sooner than expected.

The Facebook-owned company is testing out the removal of its like-system that drives the influencer industry, starting with Canada later this week. The trial-run hides the number of likes on photos and videos in the main feed and on profiles.

Not to worry though, you’ll still be able to measure your self-worth. As per the model of the Instagram Story feature, the account owner will still be able to see the count of likes, but followers won’t. The news, which was announced at Facebook’s annual developer conference, comes after numerous studies unveiled the anxiety related to using the application.

“We do hear that people worry about how many like counts they get” said head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, before stressing that the move is about “creating a less pressurised environment where people feel comfortable expressing themselves”.

The move—I think we can all agree—is much needed, but the question of how this will the influencer industry, who rely on their like-counts for their income, still remains.

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