Instagram is a very popular app that people all around the world use to keep their friends and family up to date. Recently the app has taken away it’s following feature, being able to see the number of likes on other people’s posts, in other countries and on some US accounts. This decision has been very controversial and has led to lots of conversation.

In my opinion, I feel Instagram would be better without the publicity of how many likes someone gets. In this day and age I think there is way too much pressure around deciding what is considered an “Instagram-worthy post.” I think people of all ages ask themselves that question, but it certainly comes up more frequently among the younger generation. There are also so many people who post then end up deleting their pictures because they didn’t feel they got enough likes. I believe if being able to see the number of likes was removed, more people would post pictures. People think there are so many unspoken rules you must follow on Instagram. A big one a lot of people believe in is that you should only be posting once a day, but if Instagram removed this feature people would post when they please. I think it is so easy to get caught up in having the approval of one another when in reality this is just a platform to show your life through tiny squares. Instagram shouldn’t be so much about who gets the most likes but instead it should focus on the content of the picture itself.

On the other hand, I can completely see why people want to keep Instagram the way it is. This is the way the app was designed, so why change it now? Instagram was designed as a Social Media platform to interact with each other by liking and commenting on posts. In the last few years becoming a “Social Media Influencer” has definitely gotten more popular. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, “An influencer is an individual who has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of his/her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his/her audience.” There are so many people in the world who’s actual job is to be an “Influencer”. They make money off of how many people like or interact with their post, and if the likes get taken away they really have no job. I understand that these people can find other jobs, but they made a name for themselves upon receiving appreciation for their content.

I definitely see the pros and cons of having the number of likes someone receives public. I understand how people who have been affected by this can be both upset and happy. I myself have not had this happen to my account, so I really don’t know for sure how I would react until it happens. As for now, I think I would appreciate the change, but I look forward to seeing what happens in the future and am interested in seeing what the permanent decision on this will be.