Keeping up with the Instagram algorithm? In this economy?!
If it feels like every time you open Instagram something is different, you are not alone. Instagram is constantly changing both its algorithm and features to keep up with what its users want. And its latest change is set to protect them — but does it really?
This past November, Instagram made its biggest change yet — announcing that it would soon be removing likes from posts. You will be able to see the likes on your own posts, but not on others’. The goal is to alleviate the pressure that comes with how well your posts perform on the platform. It’s to help stop people from measuring their worth with how many likes they receive on their posts. Instagram is slowly rolling this out as a “test”, so you may not have been affected by this feature, yet.
The reactions to the rollout have been mixed. A-list celebrities, such as Cardi B, have voiced their opinions on the update:
“If anything is affecting Instagram right now, it’s the way the comments have been done or have been changing these past few years,” Cardi B said. “And that’s what I feel: The comments affect more than the likes.”
Complex Magazine
https://www.complex.com/music/2019/11/cardi-b-addresses-instagram-hiding-likes
Another big-name celebrity Kim Kardashian also added her input to the conversation. Scrolling through Kim Kardashian’s Instagram, you could see she normally receives millions of likes on her posts.
“As far as mental health, I mean it’s something that taking [Instagram] ‘likes’ away and taking that aspect away from it would be really beneficial for people,” said Kardashian.
CNBC
Cardi B brings to light a valid point — there is little to no regulation of comments on Instagram. If you’ve ever tried reporting a comment as harassment or spam, you know that it’s an ineffective process where the outcome is usually inconsequential. This can go hand-in-hand with the cyberbullying problem that continues to escalate with each passing moment.
While I do get disgruntled when my near-perfect photo of my cute dog gets half as many likes as my boyfriend’s blurry photo of him and his fraternity brothers, I do question whether this actually has any affect on my well-being. However, if I received hurtful comments on my photo, that entirely changes the situation.
So, this is the question we’re brought to — does the real problem lie within the “like” or the “comment”? If the photos you liked on instagram started to be totally unaffected by other people’s likes, would that make your life better? Would it make the world better? Sure, actions will become more authentic, but does that create any meaningful change to the platform? Does it eliminate all anxiety?
Could Instagram solve this problem by amping up their commenting regulations and cracking down on harassment instead of getting rid of likes? Only time will tell. In the meantime, please go like the photo of my cute dog.
