Instagram ‘likes’ to disappear from public view

Instagram will begin hiding the total number of likes a post gets from public view in Ireland, extending the test it began in Canada in May.

The move is aimed at pushing Instagram users to focus on the content rather than the number of likes a post has, making use of the site seem like less of a competition. Video views will also be hidden from the feed, permalink pages and profile.

Profile owners will still be able to see the total figure by tapping on the list of likes.

The company said there was a lot it wanted to learn about how the change would affect users’ experience of the service.

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Feel comfortable

"We want Instagram to be a place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves. This includes helping people to focus on the photos and videos they share, not how many likes they get," Tara Hopkins, head of public policy, EMEA at Instagram said. "We are now rolling the test out to more countries so we learn more from our global community and see how this can benefit people's experiences on Instagram."

You may not see an instant change though; Instagram said the change will be rolled out gradually to all Irish users from Wednesday.