Instagram is one of the usually used platforms and has a large number of subscribers in recent years. When apps become very popular, they have to take care of other people’s likes and dislikes. Two years ago, Instagram began to hide like numbers, calling it a significant company’s decision to protect user privacy.
The decision was not welcomed by all, especially bloggers who argued that because companies’ preferences are hidden, how will they compete with each other. The company argues that numbers like the popularity of races, and because everyone is equal, it spreads negativity.
It looks like Instagram is finally listening to them and has launched a global test where users can decide to hide or show the number of likes on their posts and others. The company revealed that it launched the global Instagram test after analyzing different users’ responses to its experiment to remove preferences.
While telling about the test, Instagram said:
“In 2019, we started hiding like counts for a small group of people to understand if it lessens some pressure when posting to Instagram,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “Some people found this beneficial, but some still wanted to see like counts so they could track what’s popular.”
A company spokesperson also revealed that Facebook is testing the same functionality for its users that will launch in the coming weeks. He also added that the move takes because people demanded more control to communicate with each other. While Facebook doesn’t hide likes globally, it has tried to hide likes on other people’s posts in Australia.
Because there are two types of people on Instagram, one believes that hiding preferences are a good step for consumers’ mental health. In contrast, others are exceptionally creative who believe that users should be given freedom whatever they do. This test will show which side of the user is more inclined and help the company make the final decision.