Priya Dogra – Certification | Jobs | Internships
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Instagram’s latest update includes two significant features: the option to hide likes and the addition of a dark mode.
Hiding Likes
Instagram now allows users to hide like counts on their posts as well as on posts they see in their feed. This feature aims to reduce social pressure and focus more on the content itself rather than its popularity. To hide likes, users can navigate to the “Settings and privacy” menu, select “Like count” under the “What you see” section, and toggle the setting to hide likes. Users can also choose to hide likes on a post-by-post basis when creating or editing posts.
Dark Mode
In addition to hiding likes, Instagram has enabled dark mode, providing a more visually comfortable experience for users in low-light environments. Dark mode can be activated through the app’s settings, typically found under “Display” or “Appearance” options, depending on the device and operating system.
These updates are part of Instagram’s ongoing efforts to improve user experience and provide more control over how content is viewed and interacted with on the platform.
On the positive side, a ‘like’ on an Instagram post:-
1. Provides direct gratification in spite of not having any personal contact with the people who have liked the post.
2. Boosts self-esteem.
3. Increases your popularity even though you may, really be a loner.
4. Provides a means to earn money for an Influencer who endorses the product/service
On the downside, a ‘like’ on an Instagram post:-
1. Puts pressure on users since the user feels judged by the number of likes he/she receives.
2. Creates low self-esteem and inadequacy, often self-judging oneself with Insta “likes’ being the benchmark.
3. Leads to online bullying. Recent research has proven the
so-called much ‘liked’ insta users bully the not-so ‘liked’ users.
4. Makes one stay ‘online’ with virtual friends instead of face-to-face social interaction.
5. The greed to know how many ‘likes’ your post has garnered, makes you look into your phone more often, distracting you from your work.
So if Instagram has recently started hiding the number of likes on posts in Australia and Japan, and proposing to do so in India soon, I am all for it. Though Instagrammers will be able to view the number of likes their own posts receive, the others will only be able to see a user name “and others” below the post. Instagrammers who are trending will miss being in the limelight but a lot many will be spared the pressure of falsehood and charade to lead in the number game.
Conclusion: Instagram has launched this initiative to minimize the stress of posting online with users competing over the number of ‘likes’ their posts receive. Recent research findings have shown, how the number of ‘likes’ on social media is affecting the mental health of teenagers. Let’s teach them to live in the real world, communicate real emotions, love real persons and lead real balanced lives!
