Social media is important to almost every teenager today, and one of the most popular apps is Instagram. Instagram is trying to take the stress and pressure off of people by hiding likes and views from everyone but the person who posted the picture.

Instagram is an online app that has increasingly become a popularity contest to see who has more likes. It is known to anxiety, depression, loneliness, and stress in its users, especially teenagers who are competing to have the most popular account. 

CNN says that Instagram is testing this new idea in many different countries. 

“The test removes the total numbers of likes on photos and videos, but the owner of the account will still be able to see them. Likes will not appear on the main feed, profiles or permalink page.” 

CEO Adam Mosseri said, “The idea is to depressurize Instagram, make it less of a competition.”

Since this new update some people have become relieved and less competitive with others, but the same cannot go for those who rely on instagram likes. 

“We have to see how it affects how people feel about the platform,” said Mosseri. 

Even though Mosseri’s Instagram update may have good intentions, it affects many celebrities and artists. 

Nicki Minaj said that she stopped posting and Peter DeLuce, an artist that shows his work this platform, says, “Instagram removing likes may be terrible for emerging online artists.” 

DeLuce has been part of the instagram community for three years and has gained over 10,000 followers by posting his artwork on Instagram. He says that removing likes could destroy his business, and he could lose fans and followers. 

DeLuce said, “Likes are a good metric to prove your art is high quality.”

Sandra Davis, and English teacher at Mt. Hebron, said, “At first I didn’t get it, but then once I read it a little bit more I actually think it’s a great idea, I like it.” 

She is hopeful that “they’re trying to accomplish relieving some pressure off of lots instagram users, many of whom are young people so they don’t feel the pressure of having so many likes to keep up with their friends.”

Ms. Davis thinks Instagram’s change could affect companies and businesses, but she is not concerned about that. 

She said, “I’m not as concerned about the impact to them (the businesses). Although I don’t wish any of these businesses anything bad, but I’d like to see teens less pressured, and if not seeing the likes help then I think that’s great,”

Davis hopes that Mosseri is “trying to look out for the betterment of society and young people’s well-being.”
Sophomore Taylor Streeter said, “At first, I didn’t really think about it too much, but I kinda like the idea because I think the people on social media are pressed about how many likes they get and if a certain person liked it or not.” 

She thinks Instagram is trying to make more money, and she thinks it will help people with their emotional health.

“You don’t want to think deeply about who likes your pictures and who’s not liking your pictures and be so obsessive over not getting five hunred like,” said Streeter. 

Counselor Veronica Valentine said she was all for the new update Instagram is going for. She thinks that Instagram means alot to students.

“I think that some students think that getting likes means that they are good or a better person than someone who doesn’t get that many likes,” she said. “There’s been some studies done about how that whole followers and getting likes impact somebody’s self-esteem.” 

She thinks Instagram is trying to help with not just students, but adults who are fixated on how many likes they get and feel badly if they do not get a lot. 

Ms. Valentine thinks that this new update will help with people’s emotional well-being because “some people base their self-esteem on how many likes and shares that they get.”

She thinks Mosseri is trying to enhance the product so that it’s more “user friendly and that it is giving to the people instead of taking away.” 

She agrees with this new update and she would like to see how it affects people and she thinks it will be a positive change.