Instagram, the second-largest social network in the world after Facebook, has begun testing the hidden number of likes worldwide, in a selected number of countries. Initially, this test was conducted in several regions such as Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Ireland, Italy, and New Zealand, sometime in early and mid-2019, and now testing has reached the US. After only a few days of availability in America, this test has been extended worldwide.

If you no longer see the likes of Instagram posts, it means you have been selected for this test. The company believes that many users are emotionally affected by the number of likes their posts receive, and hiding this number could help them overcome the fear of posting certain photos on Instagram. Thus, only users will be able to see the actual number of likes, and users who see the post in the news feed will be able to see only one or two friends who have reacted.

This decision is not final, and after the end of the testing period, everything could turn back to normal. In fact, Facebook representatives are aware that these decisions could affect the incomes of influencers who currently make a living off the posts on social networks, yet they consider that the mental state of the users is more important: “We will make decisions that affect business if it helps the well-being and people’s health,” said Adam Mosseri, Instagram CEO.

During the testing period in other regions, the influencers with 5-20 thousand fans registered decreases in the number of likes. The worst declines were recorded in Brazil and Australia, where likes fell by 15%, while in Japan and the UK there were decreases of less than 5 and 3%, respectively.

If it becomes permanent, this change will be problematic especially for agencies working with influencers, who will no longer have quick access to statistics based on the campaigns carried out. Thus, they will have to rely on what the influencers are reporting (you can still see the number of likes you have on your own post, but you can’t see the number on the posts of others) and trust that they are reporting correctly. Some influencers can also think about getting more Instagram views on services such asbuzzvoice. Instagram does not yet have an interface that gives other users access to statistics like a Google Analytics or Insights interface.