It is almost impossible to think of a current society where social networks do not exist. These networks are designed to hook the user and spend as much time as possible on them . For this, they have a series of resources to make users connect with each other and feel valued in the social network: they are the well-known ‘likes’.
For a few years now, many psychologists specialized in social networks and technology have been warning about the stress and anxiety processes that many users suffer when the ‘likes’ they receive are not what is expected, or are lower than other users.
This factor is due to overexposure to social networks that, when the time comes, can cause important medical conditions that must be treated by specialists. There are many celebrities and influencers who have already spoken out about the “tyranny” of the ‘like’ that marks their day to day.
Instagram and Facebook remove the ‘likes’
In this regard, on May 26, the social network Instagram announced that it had implemented a new improvement in its application. It is about the possibility of hiding the ‘likes’ in the images and videos that users upload.
The new feature has been tested in small groups in the past months and met with a satisfactory response from the company. In their corporate blog they explain it as follows:
“Starting today, we are giving you the option to hide counts for all posts in your feed. You’ll also have the option to hide the likes counts on your own posts , so others can’t see how many likes they get. This way, if you want, you can focus on the photos and videos that are being shared, rather than the number of likes the posts receive.
A new function that, logically, will be implemented in the coming weeks also on Facebook as a new option for users.
The measure has brought different reactions in the community, for many it will not do any good and there will continue to be many people addicted to ‘likes’. For others it is a good measure to make social networks cleaner that helps people overcome their addiction to networks.
To configure this option, for the moment only available on Instagram, we just have to enter Settings, click on Privacy and get to Publications . Here we will find the option to deactivate ‘I like you’ from our main feed.
