Let’s Talk: Instagram Changing & Potentially Hiding Likes

Hi friends! I wanted to sit down today and have a chat about everything that’s been in the news lately about Instagram potentially changing, hiding likes and making it “harder for influencers to be influencers.” Instagram is a thriving tool for businesses right now, many people making their income from it solely. Keep reading for a bit of a dive into what these changes could mean for users (specifically influencers & bloggers) and my thoughts on the possible switch.

First, here’s a snippet of an article on this.

Click here to read more of this article.

CURRENT STATE OF THE ‘GRAM

Right now, Instagram is all about the numbers, and I think that’s why “successful” people love it and small “micro influencers” (that term literally makes me want to BARF) feel like they’re drowning in comparison.

Oh, you get hundreds or thousands of new followers a day and I lose 5 every time I post?! Awesome! (LOLing over here)

Your numbers are shown everywhere for everyone to see, and feelings of inferiority and pressure to be better have consumed so many of us — myself included, which I’m beyond ashamed to admit. Instagram can be a toxic place sometimes, especially if so much of your business is centered around it.

Let me get real with you for a second.

Though I have 5+ times more monthly page views on my blog than a handful of “big” bloggers (I won’t reveal my sources, but just trust me on this one), some brands won’t even consider working with me solely because of my number of Instagram followers. It’s a slap in the face, honestly. It’s almost as if it cancels out everything I’ve worked so hard to build here on my blog. Instagram plays such a big role in the blogging industry and I hate that more than anything. I’m not an Instagram influencer,  I’m a blogger — so don’t judge me and the value I can bring to your business/brand solely off of Instagram numbers, you know?

There are absolutely days I want to log out of the app and never get back on out of pure frustration. I go above and beyond to create change for my profile with zero growth in return. Instagram’s algorithm (as I’m sure you’ve heard literally everyone and their mothers complaining about) doesn’t help either, but that’s another post for another day. Though Instagram has great qualities in the sense that it can connect you with other like-minded people, as well as it’s yet another place to express yourself and gain inspiration, the negatives often outway the positives for me.

Along with everyone else, Instagram has caught wind of users’ negative feelings and is toying with the idea of changing things up. I’ve read several articles on this, most of which say that Instagram is considering hiding likes, and some have even said that they’re considering hiding follower counts too. I actually laughed out loud when I read this thinking about all the potential mayhem that second one could cause. 😂

WOULD THE CHANGE BE GOOD OR BAD?

It could go either way, but I think it would be beneficial as a whole, especially for those of us in the blogging industry who get wrongly penalized for our Insta stats. The change would allow users to focus much more on creating what YOU want, forgetting about numbers and trying to please others. I think back to my blissful times on Instagram a couple years ago, shockingly being unaffected by all this pressure I’m now wrapped up in today. BOY, were those the days!

A platform that doesn’t visually rank/classify everyone by their numbers is one that I can stand behind. It would allow people to stop hiding behind these figures and put everyone on a much more level playing field, one where massive loop giveaways for follower gains will vanish… PLEASE! A girl can dream! 😆 If this change is implemented, we’d be forced to be more focused on people and what they’re sharing, not the stats next to their images. We as individuals will decide if what someone’s message is important, rather than unintentionally classifying its relevance based on its number of likes and how relevant others tell us it is.

Instagram has played a negative role in my life numbers-wise. I can tell you from experience that it’s so frustrating to put so much time and effort into it, getting so excited to post something and then only a fraction of your audience even sees or likes it. If this continuously happens to you like it has to me, it really beats you down after a while. I’ve watched so many fellow bloggers that started when I did 3.5 years ago completely lap me on the app, and others have noticed it too. I get messages from followers of mine here and there saying “I can’t believe you don’t have more followers! How do you not?!” and though they’re saying it as a compliment (and THANK YOU for that!), I’m always like girl, I KNOW. I appreciate the sweetness behind it (for real, you’re too good to me), it also reminds me in the back of my mind that it’s something others are noticing too. Maybe I’m in my head too much about it, but just being real here.

I take Instagram seriously these days because I have to, and I hate that it has turned me into a person that allows social media to bring me down. I mean, how DUMB is that?! It’s a reality for so many of us, and though it’s comforting knowing I’m not the only person struggling, this potential change on the platform gives me hope. A more level playing field could be on the horizon, which I truly feel will spark so much inspiration, positivity and hope for all of us. I’m not holding out since this isn’t a sure thing, but I’m crossing my fingers that this could be a beneficial change for so many of us.

__________

I want to know your thoughts on this! What do you think about the switch? Do you think it will positively or negatively affect influencers/bloggers? How do you think this could change how brands select people to work with? What role do you think this could play within the current “Instagram algorithm?” Let me know in the comments! Thanks so much for listening to my ranting session, enjoy your evening & see you in Friday’s post! Love you guys!