Instagram is thinking of hiding your likes, and Twitter both loves and hates the idea

What is Instagram without likes? You may soon find out.

At the first day of F8 2019 , Facebook announced that it is testing ‘hiding likes’ on Instagram. The feature test will roll out in Canada later this week. Essentially, when the feature rolls out, the total number of likes on photos and videos will not show anymore. Likes, which are shown as hearts on the app, will be removed from the main feed, permalink pages, and profiles.

While followers won’t be able to see the total number of likes a post has received, the owner of the account will still be able to see it.

Of course, this is going to be a big change to the existing dynamics of the app. Whether we admit it or not, Instagram is all about the number of likes and followers. Arguably, there have been many reports which   suggest that the greed for the number of likes can affect a user’s mental health. But do users like the idea of their likes vanishing away? Here’s what Twitter has to say about it:

I’m really keen for this plan to hide likes on @Instagram. What wonders it would do for our society, anxiety levels, mental health etc etc etc

— Dan Cox (@dan_james_cox) April 30, 2019

The ‘who cares about the likes’ club

Instagram is getting rid of likes, I can actually imagine some people dying

— Owdog (@owenoooo) April 23, 2019

The ‘we already know a way around it’ club

The ‘oh please make it stop’ club

What do you mean hiding likes?? X

— feelingsupersonic (@_rebekahhx) April 24, 2019

Where do you go if you want to see stuff people genuinely like and were willing to pay their own money for?

— Veronica Bates Kassatly (@BatesKassatly) April 30, 2019