Instagram has been playing with like counts for several years now. In about six nations, the platform has been doing a test where it hides like counts altogether. Presently Instagram is giving clients the choice to modify how like counts work in a new test.
Announced by The Verge, the most recent test is going on globally for small group of Instagram clients. Rather than removing like counts when seeing others’ posts as it did in the testing that began in 2019, those part of the new experiment will get three choices: “choosing not to see like counts on anyone’s posts, turning them off for their own posts, or keeping the original experience.”
The goal of the original test was to have “your followers focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.” At the time, Instagram also noted that while early feedback on removing likes was positive, “this is a fundamental change to Instagram, and so we’re continuing our test to learn more from our global community.”
In those days, Instagram likewise recognized that like counts were a significant piece for some makers and brands advertising on the platform so that was important for the thought with the entirety of this.
The new test makes sense in light of that as it gives clients total control over like counts with the three options. Instagram hasn’t shared more subtleties on the test for the time being.