GREENSBORO, N.C. — It’s time for ‘My 2 Cents.’
The popular social media app, Instagram, is now testing a feature that will let users decide if they want to see how many people “liked” their post. They say it’s an effort to create a healthier environment for people who may feel a lot of pressure when posting on Instagram.
Instagram is owned by Facebook – and Facebook will start exploring a similar feature in the near future.
So I was reading all about this this morning and I started thinking about the pressure to post on social media. How the number of likes we get on something can determine how we feel. When you say it out loud it feels silly but there is real evidence that shows why likes are so powerful.
They are a basic form of validation. When a post gets few likes we may feel disappointed whereas when a post gets a lot likes we may feel justified and appreciated. Data shows when likes are removed from a platform, users are more likely to post creative content, free from the anxiety that others may not approve.
So why do platforms keep them around if they seem to be weighing heavily on a user’s mental health? The answer is simple… money and user experience. People can pay these sites to boost their posts, or put them on more people’s feed, so they can get more likes and appear more popular. That creates revenue. In turn, what you like also helps these platforms put content in your feed that’s more relevant to your interests.
I’m not trying to say social media is the boogeyman but you should consider the motivation behind the everything.
With all that being said, it takes less than a second for you to like a post or for someone to like yours. It’s normal to feel good when your post gets more likes but don’t let something that takes half a second ruin your day.