Social networking sites and mental health concerns have remained intertwined since the dawn of time. Many believe that the younger audience is susceptible to the magic number of likes and comments, letting the digits affect their self-worth. Facebook and Instagram — two of the biggest players in the social media game — have been looking into the matter for a while and seem to have come to a conclusion.
Instagram, which is owned by the biggest brand in the business: Facebook, is rolling out an option that would allow users to pay less attention to the numbers. It’s giving users the option to hide likes on their photos and videos. Today, we’ll take a look at how it works and tell you all its ramifications.
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How to hide likes on Instagram
After testing the feature for over two years, Instagram has quietly rolled out the option to let users hide the number of likes they have on their posts. Below, we’ll help you do so on your mobile device.
Launch the Instagram app and log in. Now, go to your profile page by hitting the thumbnail on the bottom-right corner of the screen. Then, tap on an image to open it. Next, on the right-hand corner of the image, you will see a vertical ellipsis button. Tap on it to explore options related to the image.
Finally, tap on ‘Hide Like Count.’
That’s all! The like count on your image would be hidden immediately.
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What happens when you hide likes?
Now that we’ve learned about hiding likes, let’s check out what happens when you choose to do so.
What do you see after you hide likes?
Instead of seeing how many people have liked your photo, you would see the name of one Instagram user and the rest would be shown as ‘Others.’
Tapping on ‘Others’ would give you the complete list of people who have liked your post.
What do others see?
Instagram users who happen to come across your photo won’t be able to see the total like count at once. They, too, will see the name of only one Instagram user — that is chosen randomly it seems — and ‘Others.’
Tapping on ‘Others’ would give them the complete list of likers.
What happens when someone likes your post?
Even when someone likes your Instagram post after you’ve hidden the like count, you would still get the ‘Like’ notification as you generally do.
The name of the liker will not be hidden, but the overall count would be kept under wraps.
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Can you hide the like count for other posts?
If you wish to extend the privilege of not seeing likes to other Instagrammers’ posts, we’re afraid you’re in for a disappointment. Although you can very easily hide the like count on your posts, you don’t get to stop seeing likes on others’ posts.
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How to unhide like count
Wish to flaunt the number of likes you have on your Instagram post? A couple of taps would get the job done for you.
Fire up the Instagram app on your mobile and go to your profile page. Now, tap on the post you wish to highlight. Next, hit the vertical ellipsis on the top-right corner.
Finally, tap on ‘Unhide Like Count.’
That’s all! The Like Count would be back to normal in no time.
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