The removal of “likes” on Instagram is a feature that has been in testing for a while. Instagram just announced that soon enough, Facebook and Instagram users will be able to choose whether or not to display like counts on their updates/posts.
As stated by Instagram:
“You may have noticed that we’ve been testing hiding like counts on Instagram for a while. Today, we’re announcing that everyone on Instagram and Facebook will now have the option to hide their public like counts, so they can decide what works for them.”
A similar idea will be implemented on Facebook:
“We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people’s experience on Instagram. What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some, and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense for what’s trending or popular, so we’re giving you the choice.”
What do you think of Instagram’s idea to remove likes?