Facebook and Instagram Might Remove Like Counts: What This Means for Marketers

Jan 19, 2020 | Commentary

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Instagram has been running a “hidden-Like” experiment in which Likes and view counts are not publicly viewable. Marketers need to consider what would happen if Instagram and Facebook (its parent company) turned this experiment into reality. Without Likes to count, they would need to spend more time looking at comments and at other social channels, such as Twitter or Youtube. Note that marketers could still see their own Like totals, but would have to work harder when analyzing their competitors. Ultimately, the focus would have to be more on content than reactions. High-quality posts that encourage discussion would still be valued.

Key Takeaways:

Instagram has been conducting an international experiment with hiding pages’ like counts and view counts.
Facebook — which runs Instagram — hasn’t talked publicly about the results of its experiment, but seems open to the idea of removing like and view counts worldwide.
Removal of like and view counts, if implemented, will greatly complicate the ability of brands to evaluate influencers.

“While various app design changes might make the platform feel less competitive to users, when it comes to the current hidden-Like experiment, many influencers and marketers might be wondering how it could affect their pages and strategies.”