Bad news Instagrammers– You might never be able to flaunt the likes of your posts anymore.
Likes are the modern currency of social favoritism right? Whether you are a foodie or a travel blogger, likes are the only thing that keeps you motivated to share more of your polished, frame-perfect shots of anything you are obsessed in from fashion to arts, anything.
But the craving for Instagram likes also makes you self-obsessed. Getting Likes not only makes you feel good but also makes you paranoid as you keep checking the likes your picture has garnered in the middle of the night. Getting more Likes has become more associated with the Social-Status quo and bragging rights than just the ‘feel good’ feeling.
As reported by Programmer and reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, it looks like peeps at Instagram HQ are testing a new feature that hides Likes on a post, from everyone except the person who posted it. The yet-to-be-released feature is accompanied by a note that explains “Testing a Change to How You See Likes: We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get”. One spokesperson said that they are looking for ways to reduce pressure on Instagram users to go over and beyond to gain likes.
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
Jane Manchun Wong also spotted other features that Instagram was testing, like different sticker styles and Augmented Reality (AR) filters for video calls.
Instagram Direct is testing Stickers pic.twitter.com/VEpXMgEnZP
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 18, 2019
Instagram is testing AR Effects and Co-Watching in Video Calls
(hands-on demo) pic.twitter.com/y1OV80zVtg
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) April 17, 2019
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