Who is Validating Who on Insta?

What will we do about losing precious likes?

By Macie Rasmussen

As you may have heard, Instagram is testing the idea of taking away our likes. It hasn’t changed for everyone... yet. Oh no! How will I know if my crush is trying to flirt with me by liking my photo? Well, users will be able to see who liked their posts. It’s their followers who won’t be able to see who liked it or how many likes you received. I talked to a few students in the College of Liberal Arts to get their opinions on likes, and threw in my own thoughts on Instagram posting expectations.

Jacob Van Blarcom, a student studying strategic communication, thinks that taking away the ability to see others’ likes is the first step in the company’s five, or 10, or 20 year plan to transform Instagram into a “story-based” platform. Instagram can’t do this cold turkey, of course; it’s a gradual process. Van Blarcom predicts we will one day have glasses, or maybe some sort of retinal implant, to bring our followers into our experiences. For example, Van Blarcom’s followers would be able to see everything from his point of view. This is just his far-out prediction. But in the present, he thinks it makes sense for Instagram to charge brands for ad space instead of brands paying influencers. Because brands are unable to see how many likes an influencer collects on posts, they won’t be able to decide what to pay for a promotion.

Lucy Pabst, a journalism major, gave a social-based response. As she sees it, people draw conclusions based on what other people like. People notice connections between acquaintances and draw conclusions about who is friends with whom. For example, she notices when exes continue to like each other’s photos. Likes are just another way to interpret social interaction. She thinks this change will have an impact on the public’s mental health, but it’s a shift that individuals won’t notice for months. 

According to Amy Zhou, a political science student, “It’s chill.” She doesn’t see this change as a big deal. However, she would able upset if the platform didn’t allow her to see who liked her photos. Although the removal of others’ likes isn’t a problem for her now, she remembers a time when friends saw numbers of likes as goals to be reached. Clearly, people engage with the platform in distinct ways. 

So what do I think? Of course, I noticed when my picture of a library book with the caption “tapioca pudding with cream” got only 53 likes while a photo of myself posing in business casual paired with Dr. Martens (Dr. Martens are business casual) got 193 likes.

In terms of Instagram observation, I have noticed that when I post a picture of myself, maybe two of my closest friends will comment on it, which is something I’ve never had an issue with. But I have also noticed that when someone else posts a photo of themselves, it will get 30 comments. The comments say things like “OMG gorgeous” and “WOW” and “*prayer hands emoji*.” My indifference to the number of comments I receive isn’t meant to say, “Wow, look how confident I am,” because I’m not. I just wonder why that comment differentiation occurs. Do we just have a different social network? Do people think I don’t need validation? Do they not want to validate me? It’s tricky. 

All of these questions flooding through my head may mean nothing more than that Instagram holds a significant place in my consciousness. By talking to people, I’m learning that the way individuals engage with the platform is nuanced. Some click through every story, some don’t click through any. Some check every message, others glance at their inbox once a month. 

As much as I don’t like to admit it, I do look at who likes my pictures and who views my stories. So it’s interesting to think about how taking all Instagram likes away would influence the way I share content. Would I be inclined to post content? Would I simply throw out photos without caring? Though I tend to post whenever and whatever I want, I predict this tendency would be taken up a couple of levels. Zhou also questioned if my “careless” vibes (and those of others) are curated; we attempt to project an indifferent persona. It makes me think.

Those were some of the ideas I had when I heard Instagram’s news. But let’s see if Van Blarcom’s prediction comes true. Maybe in 20 years, we will all be wearing retinal implants.