Instagram may be updating their app…and not everyone is happy with it!

Instagram is trialling, in certain countries currently, the idea of removing likes from pictures you post. This will then mean there will be no issue in an image not getting enough likes or not having engagement which a lot of people, myself included, see as some sort of ‘popularity’. This will also remove the problem of people buying fake likes which makes them seem more popular and also could lead to brand deals from companies not realising their ads they’ve paid for aren’t actually getting the attention they think.

And this brings me to my first point: people who work on instagram. You can hardly go on the app these days without people shoving the newest Sugar Bear Hair vitamin or weight loss tea. Of course the companies want engagement, they want to target audiences who are not only their demographic but are also more likely to buy. Instagram influencers can use their likes and follow counts, as well as their business analytics, to approach these companies and say ‘hey I get 8k likes a post, want to work together?’ this is an income for them and if the likes are taken away what happens?

Is their livelihood lost or will companies target them with different engagement metrics? Will the number of followers become more substantial? Or a whole host of different metrics. Who knows?

But for me, a lowly 24 year old who just uses Instagram to post far too many selfies and pictures of food, what does this mean to me? Well honestly, I see it as a good thing. Whenever I post a new image I always go to Top Hashtags to see what I should hashtag it with to get the most engagement. I then enjoy watching the likes roll in and if they don’t, or if they’re slow, I freak out or wonder what is wrong with the image or what is wrong with me. Am I not good enough? Do people not like it because I’m ugly or fat or whatever? It is a toxic mentality and not one we should ever be ok with.

I know I’m great so it doesn’t matter to me, but what about other people? I can’t imagine what it must be like being a teenager and growing up in a world obsessed with social media. A world where we constantly compare ourselves to others. A world where we have to look a certain way or fit into a box to be seen as ‘ideal’. It’s quite terrifying really. So for that audience I see nothing but good. People can still comment saying how lovely they look or how they like the picture but no longer (hopefully) will people obsess over likes.

Because, and honestly it’s hard to wrap your head around sometimes, but there’s more to life than having the approval of strangers or your peers online. We should take these photos because we like them, not because we want other people to like them.

So, all in all, I see nothing but good in this possibly update. What do you think?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding