For the love of likes

Late last month Instagram and Facebook rolled out a feature offering users the option to hide the number of likes they receive on posts The reasoning offered was for users to have a less stressful experience Considering that the very nature of these platforms is to amass and leverage popularity how does the elimination of likes an indicator of popularity change the status quo For now the initial response from the community is promisingDr Payal Sharma Salisha Talwar Tripti Bhatia Gandhi Riaan GeorgeLevelling the playing field The removal of a number count associated with likes on posts is a welcome change especially for smaller influencers believes Salisha Talwar a beauty and fashion influencer ldquoMany larger accounts would buy likes and pay for followers Larger brands would flock to them because they had the numbers to show But brands too are becoming more savvy From usersrsquo perspective not being able to see likes will allow them to experience content with an open mind rather than being pushed towards only those posts that are doing wellrdquo she explains Dr Payal Sharma a psychiatrist at Rekindle Mind Clinic confirms this observation She says that many younger users especially gravitate towards popular posts Their younger age makes them more impressionable and likelier to succumb to peer pressure ldquoWithout likes showing them the way they will have more autonomy to discover their own tastes and preferencesrdquo she saysNew tools to map success ldquoUsers may be pushed towards expressing themselves through comments leading to better conversations Both influencers and brands will have to look beyond vanity metrics and focus more on businessaligned measurement techniques And so engagement actual impressions downloads saves and other such metrics will prevailrdquo says Munavar Attari managing director of FleishmanHillard India a marketing agency ldquoMost brands do not ask us for like counts in any caserdquo adds Riaan George a content creator He says that in case of paid promotions brands seek insights that inform them about the audiencersquos engagementNamrata JainMixed chances of discovery From usersrsquo perspective Tripti Bhatia Gandhi founder and CEO of Detales Brand Communication believes that the absence of likes can impact the way they discover new accounts ldquoFor some users the number of likes can inspire curiosity about accounts Over time however Irsquove found that you tend to stick with accounts whose content you genuinely enjoy So this effect too will balance outrdquoImpact on mental wellbeing Receiving likes and validation on social media can create dopamine kicks or lsquohighsrsquo in the brain says Namrata Jain a counselling psychologist ldquoPeople who donrsquot receive as many likes as they may have hoped for can experience anxiety While it is still possible for them to view their own like count the stress of not having to prove a point to their peers is largely reducedrdquo she says This in turn can prevent issues with selfesteem and selfworth