How important are likes?

Instagram has been famous for its like ever since the app first came out in 2010, and now those likes might just go away. Even though some people may not like to admit, we all look at the number of likes we get on each post, and deep down we care about whether or not there’s enough.

Don’t worry, there are still likes on this app, but with this new possible update it doesn’t allow your followers to see how many likes you get. The reason Instagram wants to start this is so followers can actually start focusing on what is being posted, instead of how many likes it got. 

According to Forbes, Instagram is planning to remove the total numbers of likes from posts and only the person who owns the account can see the amount of likes they get. Instagram wants users to concentrate on the bigger picture.  

There is definitely an obsession with likes on all social media, but that should have nothing to do with the apps themselves. The people who use these apps are the ones who start these obsessions and expectations. 

Because of these expectations, things like depression, loneliness, and a negative impact on the body were all reported, Forbes stated. Everyday teenage girls see these supermodels posting on instagram, which leads to a bit of insecurity. Because of things like this, social media should be open to being a more supportive and realistic place, where mental health issues are more normalized.

What most people need to realize, is that not everyone in the world is a supermodel, and most of the pictures you see on Instagram are heavily edited. These expectations that people see online are simply not realistic. 

Tons of people delete posts because they feel they don’t like they get “enough” likes on the post. In middle school, I was one of those people. But the amount of likes I got on each post started to mean less each time. Likes are not the most important thing when it comes to posting a picture, the picture itself should be the most important thing. 

Just because some people get more likes and attention on their posts than others, doesn’t mean likes need to disappear. If the amount of likes one gets is so important, then maybe they shouldn’t be so consumed in social media. 

If getting rid of likes is the only solution to the problems they created, then why create them in the first place? It must of been known that people would start obsessing over likes, it’s not that hard to predict. 

Getting rid of likes will leave people confused, and Instagram won’t be the same without them. Instagram revolves around likes, it’s not that easy to just get rid of them without a response from all of the users. 

The outcome of getting rid of likes is unpredictable. It could cause less activity on the app, or more. People could feel more comfortable posting whatever they want without having to worry about the amount of likes they get. 

 

But, people shouldn’t be so affected by the amount of likes they get. Anyone should feel comfortable to post whatever they want. 

If Instagram gets rid of its likes, it won’t be the end of the world. But, it will be something new and something everyone has to get used to. 

The information on this change has been very vague, but it is in fact happening. By the end of the week of November 11, the likes on Instagram will disappear for all who don’t own the account.