Home
Apps
Apps News
Instagram Dabbles With Letting Users Hide 'Like' Counts on Their Posts

Instagram Dabbles With Letting Users Hide 'Like' Counts on Their Posts

The feature could be rolled out to Facebook in the future.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 15 April 2021 10:47 IST

Instagram Dabbles With Letting Users Hide 'Like' Counts on Their Posts

Instagram is letting a small number of users decide whether to show "like" counts on their posts

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

The option on Instagram could be made permanent
Facebook has been working with experts to understand design tweaks
Some experts say the insatiable quest for "likes" can be addictive

Instagram on Wednesday said it is dabbling with letting users hide "like" counts in an effort to ease the pressure of seeking approval from others.

If an experiment at Instagram shows the option is a hit, it could be made permanent and even extended to Facebook, which owns the image-centric social network.

"In 2019, we started hiding like counts for a small group of people to understand if it lessens some pressure when posting to Instagram," a Facebook spokesperson told AFP.

Instagram Most Invasive App, Signal and Clubhouse Safest to Use: pCloud

"Some people found this beneficial but some still wanted to see like counts so they could track what's popular."

Running tallies of how many people signal they like posts at social networks can be seen as status symbols or indicators of worth, raising mental health concerns

Some experts say the insatiable quest for "likes" can be addictive and have devastating effects, particularly for younger people.

How to Add Music and Lyrics to Instagram Stories

Instagram is letting a small number of users around the world decide whether to show "like" counts on their posts or see them on content shared by other people.

"We're testing this on Instagram to start, but we're also exploring a similar experience for Facebook," the spokesperson said.

Facebook said that it has been working with experts to understand how design tweaks such as the one being tested at Instagram can support well-being of users while providing control over how they engage with the service.

Why did LG give up on its smartphone business? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 22:00), we talk about the new co-op RPG shooter Outriders. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.