For the love of likes

Representation pic

Late last month, Instagram and Facebook rolled out a feature offering users the option to hide the number of likes they receive on posts. The reasoning offered was for users to have a less stressful experience. Considering that the very nature of these platforms is to amass and leverage popularity, how does the elimination of likes (an indicator of popularity) change the status quo? For now, the initial response from the community is promising.

Dr Payal Sharma; Salisha Talwar; Tripti Bhatia Gandhi; Riaan George

Levelling the playing field: The removal of a number count associated with likes on posts is a welcome change, especially for smaller influencers, believes Salisha Talwar, a beauty and fashion influencer. "Many larger accounts would buy likes and pay for followers. Larger brands would flock to them because they had the numbers to show. But brands, too, are becoming more savvy. From users' perspective, not being able to see likes will allow them to experience content with an open mind rather than being pushed towards only those posts that are doing well," she explains. Dr Payal Sharma, a psychiatrist at Rekindle Mind Clinic, confirms this observation. She says that many younger users especially gravitate towards popular posts. Their younger age makes them more impressionable and likelier to succumb to peer pressure. "Without likes showing them the way, they will have more autonomy to discover their own tastes and preferences," she says.

New tools to map success: "Users may be pushed towards expressing themselves through comments, leading to better conversations. Both influencers and brands will have to look beyond vanity metrics and focus more on business-aligned measurement techniques. And so, engagement, actual impressions, downloads, saves and other such metrics will prevail," says Munavar Attari, managing director of FleishmanHillard India, a marketing agency. "Most brands do not ask us for like counts in any case," adds Riaan George, a content creator. He says that in case of paid promotions, brands seek insights that inform them about the audience's engagement.

Namrata Jain

Mixed chances of discovery: From users' perspective, Tripti Bhatia Gandhi, founder and CEO of Detales Brand Communication, believes that the absence of likes can impact the way they discover new accounts: "For some users, the number of likes can inspire curiosity about accounts. Over time, however, I've found that you tend to stick with accounts whose content you genuinely enjoy. So, this effect too will balance out."

Impact on mental wellbeing: Receiving likes and validation on social media can create dopamine kicks or ‘highs' in the brain, says Namrata Jain, a counselling psychologist. "People who don't receive as many likes as they may have hoped for can experience anxiety. While it is still possible for them to view their own like count, the stress of not having to prove a point to their peers is largely reduced," she says. This, in turn, can prevent issues with self-esteem and self-worth.