Instagram likely to hide 'like' numbers in future

The number of likes a user received will only be available to the content owner and no one else.

(Web Desk) – Reportedly, Instagram is considering to hide the like count on users’ profiles to lessen the tension of likes and direct the focus more on posts.

Instagram says that it has not tested the feature. In a statement to The Verge, an Instagram spokesperson said: “We’re not testing this at the moment, but exploring ways to reduce pressure on Instagram is something we’re always thinking about.”

The number of likes a user received will only be available to the content owner and no one else.

Jane Wong, a code hunter, tweeted few tests screenshot to announce the news.

Instagram is testing hiding like count from audiences, as stated in the app: "We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get" pic.twitter.com/MN7woHowVN

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 18, 2019

Details of the test come just days after the Independent indicated that the British Information Commissioner’s Office has recommended that social platforms, like Instagram and Snapchat, offer the option to turn off features like likes and “streaks” that encourage users to keep posting.

The agency wants to ban these features in order to protect the safety and privacy of the platforms’ youngest users.

This would be a massive change to how the platform functions.

Likes, while absolutely demoralizing at times, encourage people to post and give them incentive to post content that performs.

It also can incentivize the posting of less authentic content, however, like gorgeous landscapes, nudity, or thirst trap photos that might garner likes, but aren’t the most interesting or thoughtful.