It was announced earlier this year that Instagram had plans on restructuring their format, specifically pertaining to their inclusion of "likes." The image-sharing platform recently freed itself of the "Following Activity" tab, and throughout the year, it's been beta testing giving "likes" the ax, as well. According to a new report by Wired, CEO Adam Mosseri announced on Friday at WIRED25 that users in the United States can see "likes" disappearing as early as next week.
With the new move, an Instagram user will be able to see how many "likes" their photos or videos receive, however, the public will not. Mosseri shared that the disappearing act of "likes" won't hit every region of the United States al at once, but the slow rollout is inevitable. This has been a cause for concern for Instagram influencers who make their livings by not only the number of followers they have but by the interaction they receive with how many people like their posts. Yet, they need not worry too much because there are plenty of other factors that can be measured to insure their influencer status isn't at risk.
Check out the clip of Mosseri at WIRED25 below and let us know if you're bothered by Instagram's latest removal.