Why does Instagram hide the likes?

David Lee

14.5.2019

Translation: machine translated

Instagram is trying to hide the number of likes, even though the fixation on likes is one of the most important addictive factors in social media. What is behind this endeavour?

Instagram boss Adam Mosseri confirmed the rumour at the Facebook developer conference F8 that Instagram will hide the Like numbers.
Admittedly, this is only a test limited to Canada for the time being. Nevertheless, this is remarkable. After all, playing with likes is probably the number one addiction factor in social media and therefore extremely useful for the operators - perhaps even essential for survival.

However, the negative sides of these temptations have been a topic for some time. In this article from the Guardian from 2017, former developers from Facebook and Google explain the addictive mechanisms of social media. In hindsight, they see their own inventions, such as the Like button or the refresh mechanism, in a very negative light and have changed jobs. The "pull to refresh" mechanism works in exactly the same way as a slot machine, says ex-Google employee Tristan Harris: you don't know in advance how big the reward will be when you pull. This tension creates the addiction.

This is what the Instagram app will look like for the test country Canada. [[image:21780796,21780797]]

What does Instagram want with this?

By hiding the Like numbers, Instagram is supposedly aiming to put more focus on content and interaction with friends. The aim is to relieve some of the stress and social pressure. Further considerations in this direction are said to be in play, such as showing follower numbers less prominently.

I am sceptical as to whether this is the real and only reason. Basically, social media operators do what is good for themselves. They are only indirectly interested in the well-being of the users: the important thing is that the users are kept in line. So what are the interests of the operator?

In fact, Instagram has a problem with the number of likes and followers. Many users use automated tools to like articles, follow other users or even post comments. This undermines the credibility of the entire platform. Instagram needs to find a way to make the likes more authentic.

The reputation of the platform is of course also important. The constant comparison with others, the question of who has more likes, is not good for users. This is regularly discussed in the media. If users come to the conclusion that Instagram isolates rather than connects them, they will significantly reduce their activities or give up altogether. So there could be something to the official reasoning.

But there is also another, more cynical explanation. Instagram will use the test to find out how addictive the Like competition really is. After all, Canada has around 10 million Instagram users. Such a large test field provides statistically reliable figures. Instagram owner Facebook could derive advantages and disadvantages from this. Does the advantage that the fixation on numbers makes users addicted outweigh the negative headlines about psychological and social problems?

Wait and see, drink tea, like and follow

Twitter is also testing an interface that hides the likes. They only become visible when you tap on a tweet. However, we will only see whether a trend reversal is actually taking place in social media when these changes are actually made to the normal user interface. And we probably won't know until then whether they really have a positive effect for users.

As we are not yet as advanced as Instagram here, I recommend that you like this article and follow me as the author.

David Lee

Senior Editor

David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.ch

My interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.

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