Should we like the removal of ‘likes’?

Late last year, various media outlets reported Instagram (owned by Facebook) was considering and beta testing removing the visible ‘like’ counting feature on posts. The move has seemingly garnered support, citing that it would remove a major comparison component “depressurizing… the idea is to try and reduce anxiety and social comparisons, specifically with an eye towards young people” says a November 2019 Bloomberg article.

But is this not merely a band-aid type fix, that isn’t actually touching the root cause? Users will still apparently be able to view their own number of likes, but the number will not be publicly visible. Additionally, there are other metrics which can easily be interpreted in a competitive way such as number of followers. It seems to be a bit of pomp and circumstance to diffuse tension and calls to action around the addictive nature of social media and how it has affected users, primarily youth.

With the rise and domination of ephemeral content, posts are increasingly out of fashion so perhaps the point is moot and won’t have large-scale impact for better or worse.