The unthinkable is finally coming to the United States: Instagram is officially testing hiding likes. While this Facebook, owner of Instagram, already tried this in some places internationally, it’s still new to the U.S. One of the reasons this is so huge is because the U.S. is one of the key markets for the platform, as well as the headquarters for the Facebook-owned network.

What to Expect

The way this process will work is the following: though posts can still receive likes, the people who like the post won’t be able to know how many likes said post already has. Only the owner of the post will know the number of likes. Before you start speculating as to who will or will not be one of the guinea pigs for this test, there’s no clear answer. All we know is that “some” people in the U.S. will be part of it. 

That being said, if you are one of the people chosen, you will likely be notified. In other countries, Instagram sent out a notification that appeared at the top of the screen in the app. It read:

Testing a Change to How You See Likes

We want your followers to focus on what you share, not how many likes your posts get. During this test, only you will be able to see the total number of likes on your post.

So now, you play the waiting game. If you receive that notification, then you know you are one of the few chosen to participate in the test.

What Do People Think?

While celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Tracee Ellis Ross praise the change, others such as Nicki Minaj and Cardi B aren’t on board. Minaj has even threatened to stop posting on the platform all together if they start hiding the likes for good. Cardi B proclaims that the number of likes doesn’t matter, but rather the comments need to be toned down. She believes that those are the real threat.

Influencers could be at risk here, however. This might affect their partnerships, as many companies look at the number of likes certain influencers receive to determine working with them. With their removal, they might not be as successful as they have been for years now.

We don’t know for sure if Instagram wants to keep likes hidden for good or not. However, we must learn to adapt to whatever they decide to do. Likes are not the only things in the world that matter, and maybe this change could turn out to be a really good thing.

What are your thoughts about this matter? Let us know here!