A big change will be coming to some Instagram users in the U.S. next week.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri has confirmed that Instagram will begin hiding likes for users in the U.S. starting next week. The change is only in testing right now, so it won't be rolling out to everyone in the U.S. quite yet.
Mosseri went on to explain that the change is focused on young people and making Instagram less competitive for them. "The idea is to try and de-pressurize Instagram, make it less of a competition, give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love and things that inspire them," the CEO said at the WIRED25 event.
WATCH: Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri announces that the platform will start hiding likes for US audiences starting next week. It's the latest step in Instagram’s quest to become the safest place on the internet. https://t.co/BGkMG57rdk #WIRED25 pic.twitter.com/WNTyAPVhaD
— WIRED (@WIRED) November 9, 2019
Instagram is already testing hiding likes in several countries, including Brazil, Japan, and Canada. The feature hides the like counts on your photos and videos from other users, but you'll still be able to see the counts on your own posts. The change could help make Instagram more enjoyable for some users because they won't be able to compare their like counts to other users' posts, but some folks could still focus on boosting the like counts of their photos and videos, even if it's only for their own satisfaction.
Do you care about like counts on your photos and videos?