When news broke out that Instagram was testing hiding likes in other countries, I think every social media manager’s reaction was a combination of shock and panic. But the more I thought about it and saw the new look, I actually CAN’T WAIT for this test to hit the United States.
Let me explain…
If Instagram hides likes, it would say “Liked by Lindsay Kalsow and others.” This suddenly evens the playing field a little bit. We are living in a society where casual social media users and business owners alike are obsessed with the numbers game. We determine our credibility and the quality of our services over a silly number. When you take that number away, it doesn’t matter if Kim Kardashian has 5,000,000 likes and I have 100 – it all looks the same.
For smaller accounts, this is huge. The number of likes on your page doesn’t mean you have any less credibility or that your content is less valuable, there are so many factors that go into the number of likes on a post. Yes, one of those factors is the pesky algorithm (that’s a whole different topic).
What’s even better for biz owners and social media managers like myself is that the account owner will still be able to see all of the analytics, including likes, to know what’s resonating with followers or not. Is this the sign of another algorithm change? Most likely yes, but more on that to come.
What’s your opinion? Do you like this new direction for IG? I’d love to know. Let’s chat.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaykalsow/