Instagram has announced a big change. Photo / 123RF
Social media giant Instagram has announced it will be giving users around the world the ability to control likes, after New Zealand played a key role in developing the policy.
The move will allow users to hide like counts on all posts in their feed and hide like counts on their own posts.
In a statement, Instagram said that the move will allow users to focus more on their content and less on how many likes it generates.
The new system will also allow users to turn likes off on specific posts.
The move comes after New Zealand was one of a small number of countries, also including Australia, used in a trial which saw likes turned off.
When the move was made in 2019 it sent some influencers into a tailspin, with complaints that it would affect their business and had been done to prop up big business advertisers.
Likes have only returned recently, ahead of the new changes announced today.
Instagram says it ran the trial to see if it would "depressurize" the platform.
"This is a step forward in giving people more control over their experience on Instagram and Facebook. We learned that hiding like counts is beneficial for some, but others enjoy seeing like counts to understand what's popular or trending," said Mia Garlick, head of policy, Facebook Australia & New Zealand.
"It's important that people feel good about the time they spend on our apps, and these new controls allow them to create a more personalised and positive experience."
When the trial was rolled out in 2019, some marketing experts took aim at Instagram, claiming that it was only done to make it easier for business to compete with influencers.
Dave Levett, boss of Australian marketing agency Murmur, told the Daily Mail in 2019: "Let's stop the bulls*** that this recent change is about reducing the incidence of mental health among their users."
"It's about raising ad revenue for the platform, and make Instagram more appealing for small businesses and brands to pump dollars into the growing social behemoth.
"Instagram wants businesses spending money on its platform instead of with influencers. This is purely a money play."
However, Instagram says the shift is part of a suite of changes aimed to provide a better experience for the platform's varied users.
It announced it would be working with creators such as Bunny Michael (@bunnymichael) and Schuyler Bailar (@pinkmantaray) on a new guide, which would offer advice on how to manage pressure online.
It also announced extra funding for external research into user experiences on the app and how they can continue to improve.
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