Influencers React To Instagram’s Unreleased Feature

The internet has been set ablaze following reports that Instagram is testing a feature that hides the number of likes a post receives from different users.

Many people in social media thrive on the number of likes they receive from fellow social media users. These people, called “influencers,” are able to influence many people’s decisions and opinions simply because they are considered worth following. The higher the number of likes an Instagram user has, the wider the influence he has.

Influencers depend on the number of likes their accounts have. With code hunter Jane Manchun Wong exposing Instagram’s unreleased feature that hides the number of likes a post receives from the public, it’s simply normal for influencers and Instagrammers with a small following to react.

Here are some ways Influencers and non-influencers reacted to Instagram’s unreleased feature.

“It would affect my business”

Nanite Jean-Aimee, a “beauty influencer” with over 12,200 followers on Instagram, said the unreleased feature will definitely affect her makeup business. The #melaninmakeup ambassadress told the New York Post that brands work with her because of her engagement with users.

“The more engagement you have the higher chance of you getting more sponsorships and collaborations,” Jean-Aimee said.

“Skyrocketing content creation”

Alex Doda, a tech entrepreneur with more than 11,500 followers on Instagram, responded to Wong’s tweet, saying that he “loves” the unreleased feature.

“It would skyrocket content creation and help people focus would be on what really matters - putting up dope content,” he said.

“Authenticity”

Dara Pollak, owner of Instagram’s The Skinny Pig account, is not worried about the reported feature, even if Instagram decides to roll it out. Pollak even told the NYP that the new feature could bring benefits for businesses.

Pollak explained that if and when the feature is rolled out, brands will have to look into the accounts representing them. Instead of merely choosing accounts with huge followings, they’ll have to do more research to know if that account is worth choosing.

What’s more, the change, Pollak said, just might bring about something that’s lacking in Instagram nowadays: authenticity.

“If a brand wants to know what your likes are, they can ask you for a screenshot, which is something they do already for stories, impressions, etc.,” Pollak, whose account has more than 90,900 followers, said.