Users will be able to deactivate the number of “Likes” in their content and stop seeing this figure in the publications of other accounts. We tell you how it works on Instagram.
The Facebook and Instagram platforms will give users the ability to hide the number of “likes” on posts, a measure that does not settle the debate on the potentially harmful effects of seeking approval on social networks.
Users of the two platforms of the Facebook group will have the option of deactivating the number of “likes” under the content they publish in their thread.
They will also be able to suspend this popularity indicator for the images and messages they post online.
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Instagram boss Adam Mosseri anticipates that small creators trying to gain followers will be reluctant to remove likes , as they typically try to increase their popularity by showing how many people endorse their posts.
The search for “likes” worries many psychologists, especially for the mental health of adolescents, exposed on a daily basis to an embellished or completely artificial vision of their environment and their surroundings. Not to mention the risks of online harassment.
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“Harmful things happen on Instagram, we see them,” Mosseri acknowledged. “With 1 billion people (in the app), we have all of humanity, the good guys, the bullies and the crooks.”
“It is our responsibility to amplify the good and reduce the bad as much as possible,” he added.
The social media giant did not decide, however, to eliminate the “like” account, since the investigations carried out on the possible consequences of that measure, carried out since 2019 with test groups, were not conclusive, according to the company with based in San Francisco.
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“The creators were very divided,” Mosseri explained. “Smaller creators were more concerned overall because they are trying to figure out what their audience cares about. (…) The established influencers were more open to the idea, because they have less need to prove their worth ”.
The new option does not change the operation of the algorithm that chooses the posts that appear in custom threads. The system predicts what content may be of interest to each user based on a series of criteria, such as the number of “likes”, but also their likes, habits, etc.
Follow the news of El Espectador on Google NewsHow to enable the function on Instagram?
To stop seeing the number of likes in other accounts, first go to your profile and click on “settings”.
Then choose the option “privacy” and there go to “publications”. You will find an option called “Hide likes and views” . Activate it.
If you want to hide this number in your posts, you must go to your profile and choose the three dots that appear in the upper right corner of an image or video from your account. There you will find the function “Hide Like Count” .
