As of now, you can double tap any photo on Instagram to show that you ¡®like¡¯ it. But over the years, Instagram has come to the decision that this quantification of ¡®likeability¡¯ of an image might be affecting individuals negatively in terms of mental health and hence, have decided to introduce a ban on the system.
Currently, Instagram is trying out the ban in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Italy, Ireland, and Brazil but as you¡¯ve already guessed, it is the influencers that will get affected the most because the new model shows the number of likes only to the person who posted and nobody else.
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Mia Garlick who is Facebook Australia and New Zealand¡¯s director of policy has been quoted justifying the move claiming that it is to observe ¡°whether this change can help people focus less on likes and more on telling their story.¡±
But Instagram influencers are already worried about the move.
Instagram influencer Mikaela Testa told Australian news site news.com.au that:
¡°I run my own business, it¡¯s a subscription website where I share provocative and raunchy photos and it makes me easy money. Instagram is what I use for advertising, I¡¯ve only been doing it for five months, I¡¯m very new to the job, but I¡¯ve made $45,000 since I started.¡±
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Jessica Hoppe, an Instagram influencer who runs her brand Nueva Yorka is claiming to face a similar problem and has been quoted saying that:
¡°When the algorithm changed I saw a massive drop in engagement. It¡¯s evident in the numbers that I just don¡¯t get the eyes on my feed the way I used to, so I don¡¯t even get a fighting chance.¡±
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Strange that the influencers would feel that way given that they can view the likes on the photos they post while only hiding it from their followers. But as we all know, when it comes to social media, it can be difficult to predict the effect of new introductions.