Instagram head Adam Mosseri says the app will test hiding 'likes' for some users in the US starting next week
- On Friday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced at WIRED25 that the company would start hiding "like" counts on users' posts in the US next week, Wired's Adrienne So first reported.
- Instagram, its parent company Facebook, and YouTube have already started experimenting with this in other countries.
- Earlier this year, Instagram said it would experiment with hiding like counts to create a "less pressured environment."
- Read more on the Business Insider homepage.
Say goodbye to your Instagram likes.
Starting next week, if you live in the US you might discover that the all-important number that tells the world how many likes your Instagram post received has disappeared.
Instagram will experiment with hiding like counts in the US, Adam Mosseri the head of the Facebook-owned business announced at the WIRED25 conference in San Francisco on Friday.
"We will make decisions that hurt the business if they help people's well-being and health," Mosseri said on stage at event, Wired's Adrienne So first reported.
According to So, Instagram will hide like counts only for certain users in the US. It's part of a test that the company has already begun in some other countries as it responds to critics and tries to create a "less pressured environment" on the platform.
Instagram is testing hidden "like" counts in seven countries - Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand.
Instagram influencers impacted by these experiments have told Business Insider that they are starting to feel the effects of this change on their brands because they found their posts getting much less reach than before.
Instagram's parent company Facebook is also reportedly testing this out for users in Australia. Likewise, YouTube plans to stop showing exact subscriber accounts for its channels.
Business Insider has reached out to Instagram for comment. You can watch Mosseri's talk below.
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