Why is Instagram Hiding Likes And What Does It Mean?

Many Canadians (myself included!) opened Instagram in early May and realized something; their likes weren’t showing up! To my knowledge, approximately 70% of Canadians are part of this beta test, and you can’t opt-in or opt-out of this test group. You will be able to see how many likes you’re getting on your posts, even if your followers can’t. To check your like count, tap ‘others’ and the number will show up. According to Instagram, the goal is for people to be less interested in how many likes a post gets and focus more on connecting with other people.How Does This Affect Influencers And Brands?Personally, although I think this is overall a positive change for the majority of users on the platform, I think it will have significant implications for influencers. It could make working with brands much more difficult.Brands care much more about reach and engagement than they do about followers, so without being able to view engagement rates publicly, it will make brands hesitant to collaborate. I believe that brands will be searching for more exposure and therefore work with established influencers instead of turning to micro influencers for collaborations. Now more than ever, it is essential for influencers to have a reliable media kit, as this will be the only way to share insights with brands.I do see the benefits in removing likes, given the impact that they have on mental health, however, in my opinion, Instagram’s success was primarily based on likes, and removing this feature has the potential to ruin the app. Despite good intentions, I believe that Instagram will revert back to their original strategy and show likes publicly. What do YOU think about this change?