By: Megan Fabry
Popular social media platform Instagram announced Nov. 10 that they will be hiding “like” counts from the photo-sharing service to greater improve users’ photo-sharing experience.
Instagram has been testing their plan to hide “like” counts across the world in countries such as Australia, Brazil and Canada. The users that are part of this experiment will be able to click on their own profiles to see how many likes they have acquired from their original posts but will no longer be able to see the number of views or likes on their follower’s photos.
Mental health experts say it is a solid first step in alleviating some of the psychological stress that comes with the use of social media. Kristi Bose is a psychiatric advanced practice registered nurse and fully supports the company’s decision to hide likes from followers.
“There are so many people in this society who really use (social media) as a way to boost their self-esteem,” Bose said. “So when they don’t get the likes then they feel like they’re inadequate and that they have to constantly improve and be better to get that approval from other people.”
When using social media and looking at those who interact with a users page, there is a high level of dopamine being released, which becomes addictive. Dopamine is a chemical produced by our brains that plays an integral part in motivating behavior. In terms of evolution, it rewards us for behaviors that benefit humans and motivates them to repeat them. It is released when they eat something particularly good, after we exercise and when we have successful social interactions to name a few.
Bose says those that use social media have been known to post on their page what their followers enjoy before they post what they themselves enjoy in an attempt to gain more likes. Some have even been known to delete posts they especially liked because of the low count of likes.
A report released by the American Psychological Association said “rates of depression, psychological distress and suicidal thoughts and actions have risen significantly among people 26 and younger, with some of the highest increases among women.”
Although some social media influencers are speaking out about their disdain for the new Instagram, regular users are ready to test out what could be a new and improved social media platform.
“I think it’s a great idea and Facebook needs to follow,” Bose said.
