Most teenagers nowadays are well aware that Instagram likes have become a very important aspect of daily life. Everyone wants to get the most amount of likes on their social media posts. However, Instagram recently has begun to test out the possibility of removing the number of likes on posts completely. Users will still be able to like posts, but the amount of likes an Instagram post has will not be displayed.

      While this may not be detrimental to everyday people, social media influencers rely heavily on likes. Brands that sponsor these people that make careers out of things like Instagram like to give business to influencers that can receive millions of likes on a post. If this achievement will no longer be displayed, brands are likely to not want to work with these influencers anymore. Therefore, this new idea could be deadly to the market of social media influencers. 

    As for everyday Instagram users, this development could actually prove to be quite beneficial. Some say that teenagers focus far too much on popularity and their social media presence among friend groups. They will constantly post on Instagram, then announce that everyone should go like their post so that they can get many likes. Instagram likes are just one small factor that contributes to the issue of teens comparing themselves to others negatively all of the time. 

     Growing up with social media has definitely not been an easy thing for most 2000’s and 2010’s babies. So, the outcome of this little experiment will be interesting to see. Perhaps some will find themselves much happier once the pressure for likes is gone.