It was a morning just like any other. I woke up, did my usual morning routine and then grabbed my phone to check Instagram (naturally.) I’m mindlessly scrolling through my feed when suddenly I realize…I can no longer see the number of likes on anyone’s photos.
I immediately head to my photos to see if perhaps it’s just a glitch.
Nope.
Where I used to seek validation from a number, I now see that my photo had been liked by Makuplover32 and others.
Interesting. Very, very interesting.
I feel as if I am suddenly part of some strange social experiment. Although let’s be honest…isn’t Instagram in its entirety a strange social experiment? So, I do what any sensible person in my position would do…I post about it on my stories to see if it’s a glitch or if everyone is experiencing the same issue.
It turns out that Instagram is trialing a method in Australia (and Canada, I believe) where users can no longer see “likes” on any of their photos.
I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about this. I am what they call a “micro influencer.” I have a smaller but substantial audience that is incredibly engaged and those likes show brands just how engaged they are. Those likes are a selling point! I may not have 100k followers but I have several hundred likes on my photos which (annoyingly) does mean something in the social media digital creation world.
So, yeah. Not sure how I feel about this little “experiment,” Mark Zuckerberg.
A few days pass and I don’t post at all on the gram. I’m like a kid without a guardian. I’m a blogger that now needs someone to hold my hand and tell me what to do because everything I know about social media strategy has just been thrown out the window! I’m so confused yet at the same time, I truly don’t care? It’s an odd situation and I realize that I’m putting entirely too much focus on it.
So I post a photo. But not just any photo. A close up photo of myself which isn’t completely out of the norm but on a mostly #beautyflatlay based account…yeah…she stands out. Also, I know that (for the most part) these photos never “perform” as well as my product shots so I (used to) try and post them sparingly.
What happens next is fascinating…
The notifications start rolling in stating that “so and so has liked your post.” I immediately click on my photo to see how it is performing and oh my God…
My photo simply says that it has been “liked by Susieq and others…”
OTHERS! Not 20, not 50, not 99 (if I could just get that one more…) Simply, others.
It is liberating!
The days pass and I see many of my insta friends complaining about how awful this new change is. I get it! I was horrified when I first realized that my likes are no longer visible. Again, it’s not that I personally cared that much but I did care that this change may hinder my chance of receiving the amazing opportunities that I’d already experienced throughout my blogging career.
And guess what? It didn’t. Not in the least. I wasn’t kicked off of PR lists and my blogging career did not come to a crashing end. Because the world does not revolve around your number of Instagram likes, my friends! Whether you’re a blogger, an influencer, a brand or just your everyday Susie Q posting pictures of her açai bowls. Life continued on as usual…sort of.
The changes that I noticed within myself are what really surprised me. That tight feeling in my chest that I sometimes got while on Instagram? It went away. I no longer felt the need to “post to impress.” I felt like a kid being told that I could choose whatever toy I wanted. I truly felt as if I could now post whatever I wanted to share! I didn’t have to worry about its performance and the “play” aspect was restored in my content creation.
But shouldn’t I have felt this way all along? Shouldn’t I always be posting what I want to post rather than what I assume others want to see? That’s the funny thing about social media. It plays mind games. There is nothing normal about it just as there is nothing instant about Instagram. Everything is curated and thoughtfully planned out. I’ve watched my friends post on Insta…my friends that are not influencers, have a private account with only their closest friends and family following. I’ve sat there and watched the process of choosing the perfect filter, editing the caption 10 times, and meticulously cropping the photo to get the perfect angle.
It is not normal but it is the norm. I have to be honest in admitting that since the likes have been taken away, I like my new norm. It is much simpler, much more enjoyable and Instagram seems slightly less detrimental these days.
So, what really happened when Instagram took away the likes? Eh. Not much. A bit less anxiety and a bit more freedom have made posting more enjoyable and I truly feel as if it could be a move in the right direction (even though I’m sure the company did it for financial reasons.) The world didn’t end. The experiment is still taking place here down under and though it’s not guaranteed to last, I kind of hope it does. And if you’re in a country where the likes are still visible, make sure to check out my Youtube channel…Likes aren’t as important over there : )
“If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.” – Margaret Thatcher
Love and light, Carrie xo
