Speculation has flooded social media in the past week if Instagram will get rid of viewing likes. There is worry if eliminating the viewership of like feature will make a difference, motivate people to stay off of social media, and decrease the power of social media influencers. If Instagram eliminates seeing other people's likes, it will be a platform that does not measure people based on power, but instead will focus on the real life stories people tell. However, one downside may be that users will still be able to see how many people like their posts and may turn to more comments, shares, and followers to seek validation.

Instagram is showing the public they care about people's well-being instead of a strictly capitalist, advertising, and profit driven platform. If you are in the media business, taking away the viewership of Instagram likes is beneficial. One reason is the stress of producing timely media in the advertising/marketing/communication/design industry, which changes by the hour. Another reason eliminating likes could be beneficial is to help people focus more time and energy on real life, which in return can help improve mental health amid a national crisis.

For influencers, eliminating likes tells a very different story. Influencers rely on likes for advertising dollars and sponsorship, which also builds the foundation of their own brand. If Instagram removes this like feature, influencers may not see Instagram as a source of income. Eliminating the viewership of others likes would decrease the pervasive advertising which fills any user's news feed. This means Instagram will become less about comparing who has the latest new top or handbag and more about the content being shared.

Personally, eliminating this like feature is a hard decision. Growing up in high school at Instagram's prime success with a system of rating and comparison is engrained in ant teenager's mind. We're so used to the system that we don't know life without it. I'm skeptical if eliminating the viewing of people's likes will help lessen the dependency of social media altogether and advertising dollars. I enjoy using Instagram daily, but seeing an abundance of ads before viewing posts of people I follow is exhausting(not Instagram bloggers). I don't go on Instagram to buy things, but instead look at what is new and trendy.

A well known Netflix example of a society built on a rating system is the Black Mirror episode called 'Nosedive.' In the episode, "social status is determined by how friends and strangers rate interactions with you." This means every social interaction you have is rated. A real life example would be rating your Uber driver, Lime scooter ride, or your experience with the Facebook ads you view.

Despite the pros and cons, what is the actual underlying purpose of not being able to view who likes what? Since Instagram is already very specialized to user preference, concealing the viewership of likes may be another jab at the consumer to live in a filter bubble without you knowing it. I guess time will tell as Instagram takes another step in the fate of controlling society.