Instagram tries hiding ‘likes’
WHERE have the likes gone?
Did you notice something different about your Instagram feed this month? Instagram is trialling hiding public like counts for some users, in an effort to reduce the negative effects of “comparison culture”.
Under the trial, users can’t see the like count for posts in their feeds but are able to see like counts for their own posts. Instead of the like count, users see a “Liked by … and others” message.
Instagram says the move is part of an increasing focus on user wellbeing. The app has previously been criticised for having a negative impact on mental health, particularly for young people.
Some teens report closely monitoring how many likes their posts receive, and removing them if they don’t hit a certain number quickly enough.
Many of us can relate to the feeling that our lives don’t live up to the well-lit, highly curated worlds we see on Instagram.
Instagram hopes that removing like counts might change this. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri explained: “We don’t want Instagram to be such a competition. We want it to be a place where people spend more of their energy connecting with the people that they love and the things that they care about.”
High-quality content can cast a halo over ads
Where ads are shown online is an important factor in determining how favourably consumers see them. According to a report by IAS, ads seen in high-quality environments are viewed 74 per cent more favourably than those viewed in low-quality environments.
This phenomenon is described as the halo effect, where quality content casts a “halo” of trust and quality over ads displayed on the same page.
Brands have long been concerned about “brand safety” and this report confirms that it’s a smart move. Ads viewed in a high-quality environment can produce engagement rates 20 per cent higher, and memorability of 30 per cent higher, than those viewed in a lowquality environment.
Some types of content are clearly a bad idea for any brand to be associated with – like pornography or extremist propaganda – but others can be harder to quantify.
Do gossip sites, violent film trailers or politically controversial news equate to low-quality content? Each brand needs to decide for itself, or, more accurately, for its consumers.
>> Looking for more leading advice from the digital marketing experts at News Xtend? Find out more at newsxtend.com.au or call 1300 935 848.