Some local entertainers and social media influencers are reacting to Instagram’s decision to hide “likes” for users in the United States.
Last week, Instagram officially announced that it will begin the test of hiding “likes” for users in the United States. Beginning this week, some Instagram accounts will see the feature disappear – at least publicly.
Last Friday, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram said, “Right now we’re testing making like counts private, so you’ll be able to see how many people liked a given photo of yours or a video of yours, but no one else will.”
Mosseri made the announcement at Wired 25, a symposium featuring leaders in tech, science, and entertainment. He also stated that “The idea is to try to ‘depressurize’ Instagram, make it less of a competition and give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love, and things that inspire them.”
Reactions to Instagram’s decision were mixed, even among local and international celebrities.
Dancehall deejay Spice who has over 2.4 million followers on Instagram sees the removal of “likes” as a disadvantage.
So how will this affect the income of business users? Social media influencer and comedian Quite Perry shared two perspectives on the issue.
Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian approved of the move and argued that it would be a good thing for the public’s mental health.
Rapper Nicki Minaj expressed a different opinion on Instagram’s new experiment and even vowed to stop using the social media platform. The rapper argued on her Apple Music podcast that the social media giant was trying to stop celebrities and influencers from charging brands for paid advertising.
Rapper Cardi B also posted a video of herself discussing the new highly debatable decision by Instagram execs. According to Cardi, Instagram took a nasty turn when the app gave users the ability to like and reply to comments.
Music News understands that testing has already begun in US markets where some users are unable to view how many times others double-tapped their post.