What’s not to like? Instagram’s trial to hide the number of ‘likes’ could save users’ self-esteem
Instagram’s experiment to remove likes might be a PR stunt, but it’s worth it if it improves the mental health of its users, argues Western Sydney University’s Joanne Orlando in this crossposting from The Conversation.
Instagram is running a social media experiment in Australia and elsewhere to see what happens when it hides the number of likes on photos and other posts. If you have an Instagram account, you’ll get to see the numbers but your followers won’t – at least, not automatically. They will be able to click and see who liked your post, but will have to count the list of names themselves.
The trial is taking place right now in six countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. Canada has just finished its trial.
