How to take advantage of Instagram hiding likes in US starting this week

Instagram is changing the social media game in a big way this week as it rolls out testing for hiding like counts on US accounts! While this concept is new to the US, Instagram has been testing this feature for several months in Japan, Italy, Canada, Ireland and Australia. The likes that are in question are the ones you see below someone else’s post itself. You also will no longer be able to see video view counts below someone else’s post either.

More social media platforms have explored this option and are considering implementing this in the near future as well. Starting soon some of you will only be able to see your own likes and metrics. To make it a bit more confusing your followers may see the name of a mutual follower under your post if that mutual follower has clicked the like button. So no like count but a display of the names of people who did like the post (if you follow those accounts).

Instagram Update

CEO Adam Mosseri spoke recently about the direction Instagram is heading. At the forefront he made it clear Instagram would be focusing on the needs of people first. In fact his statements seemed to indicate that the people first concept will be prioritized before corporations or organizations. Instagram wants people to focus on what you share and not how many likes a post gets. This makes a lot of sense seeing as so many accounts were buying likes and fake followers. Like counts had become nothing more than a vanity metric. If you want to learn more about fake followers and it effects click here to read my blog article.

Recent Changes

This hidden like count should not be confused with Instagram’s other recent privacy change where they hid users activity from their followers in the activity history section. It used to be you could see every activity an account you followed was doing. Things displayed were who the account followed, liked and commented on. This feature always seemed a bit intrusive to me knowing each click was being transmitted to everyone.

I always advised my coaching clients to be selective on their interactions. This was for both a competitive edge and various safety reasons. No matter, this option was recently eliminated from Instagram. Too many people felt it was impacting their comfort level and privacy while interacting with the platform. In a continued but gradual effort Instagram seems to been focusing more on user safety. Algorithm and filter changes have been going into effect to locate and remove offensive comments or image content.

Pros and Cons

Instagram is hoping hidden like changes will improve both mental health and emotional wellness of its users. Let’s explore some possible positives to this concept and some negatives as well.

Positive:

1. It might help reduce competition by encouraging creative content instead of purely focusing on likes. Particularly impacting younger individuals self-esteem removing the need to measure up to peers in the digital realm.
2. Maybe this hidden like count will inspire people to increase social interaction. Doing so by forming a community structure filled with authentic engagement vs. artificial manipulation.
3. Reduce herd mentality by allowing people to become independent thinkers choosing what content genuinely connects with them.
4. Decrease the amount of bots / fake accounts liking content. If bots flee the scene it will clean up the platform and produce more accurate metrics.
5. People who bought likes will become more obvious which will help followers see their true colors.
6. It will level the playing field for the little guys to shine. People will see their accounts for their content not the amount of hearts it got.
7. Creative juices should start flowing across the board for content creators.
8. Relationship growth from people actually being social on social media.
9.  Genuine engagement should begin to take precedence.

Negatives:

1. Social media influencers will have a harder time showing their engagement to potential sponsors.
2. People who were mentally relying on the quick fix validation of likes might have some emotional upset to contend with.
3. Business will need to adjust their social strategy to thrive.
4. People who relied on fake likes to manipulate others into liking their content with herd mentality will likely have a dramatic drop in engagement.
5. People who do not put out quality content will be forced to up their game or be left behind.

Advantage for Business Owners

Here’s how business owners can take advantage of this Instagram change. First, understand that the “people” experience is what the platform is favoring. Second, use this golden opportunity to create an authentic engagement with your audience. Interact on a human level by giving them something to relate too. Third, know that this is your chance to show the world what you have to offer while the playing field is leveled, take action and start posting! Fourth,create a space that fosters community. Whether that is a Facebook group or a member’s area on your website, give your tribe a place to thrive. Not sure where to start? Book a digital coaching session, and we will get you started. Fourth, this is the perfect time to test and try content to see what people engage and connect with. Fifth, use a bio linking tool like ” Smart Bio Links ™ ” to house your community and messenger links in one place so when you do your CTA (call to action) on each post followers can easily connect with you  or your brand on a personal level. Six, use ” Smart Bio Links ™ ” to convert your followers into buyers by offering your best lead magnet or content to consume alongside your products and services.

I hope you found this information helpful. Please share the article with your friends who may benefit from it as well. If you want more tips and tricks consider following me on my YouTube channel.