It’s official. Instagram has begun testing out a world without ‘likes’. The news came out during the F8 developer conference when Instagram announced it would begin previewing a new feature exclusively in Canada that hides public like counts on videos and photos. The test run stems from efforts by the Instagram community to encourage better, more authentic content, as well as curb bullying and some of the mental ramifications of the “like” obsession.
But, on the flip side, getting rid of the “like” would mean the app loses one of its most significant analytical tools, for both users and brands alike. So, the question remains: should Instragam go “like”-less?
The “like” is one of the most valuable metrics on Instagram, for both users and brands. Likes are an easy way to show creators what content connects with their audience, while social media companies utilize the metric for their algorithms. Likes are key in determining which content appears first and tell companies which ads a user is more likely to click on. The more people like posts on Instagram, the better it is for companies — and Instagram’s ad revenue.
Getting rid of the “like” will also have profound consequences for one of the most important marketing channels on Instagram — the influencer. Think about it. How do we measure an influencer’s success and popularity? How can you calculate the effectiveness of their paid posts? The number of likes.
Do you recall the story of the “egg”? A simple picture of a plain egg against a white background became a true digital phenomenon. How do we know that? Because it currently has over 24.5 million likes, surpassing the then-most liked post by Kylie Jenner. Likes are power.
That being said, all recent announcements of features and tests show that social media has become more sophisticated. There is a demand for change. However, there are fundamental principles of how it functions (reasons for its dominance and popularity). Changing those, if possible at all, will probably lead to new business models — business models that companies will then need to adapt to.
Perhaps the solution is not to simply get rid of likes, but change how we view them. Rather than just looking at the raw total, we should look at the users and content behind the likes.
Everyone, no matter how many followers, has spent time and effort cultivating their online presence by writing posts, sharing photos and videos, making new friends, engaging in online discussions, etc. We cherish and lovingly customise our profiles, putting a lot of energy and effort into our online reputation. But, until now, to make any sort of profit — to become an “influencer” — users have had to chase inauthenticity and click-bait content in order to reach the thousands of likes the ad industry required.
The time has come for us to recoup our virtual identities. That’s why MNFST was born: a transparent, fair and open platform for advertisers and users.
With MNFST, no matter how many followers a user has, they can be fairly paid for promoting the brands they genuinely care about. Rather than running after cheap likes, users can make sincere recommendations to the types of followers that don’t just haphazardly click the “like” button, but followers whose “likes” lead to action. “Likes” don’t need to be abandoned. The world just needs to understand not all “likes” are created equal.
