Instagram has shocked us, and the world, with their latest announcement. The service has announced that they plan to remove their likes and views, taking away user’s daily quests for validation!
At first glance, the proposed changes seem utterly absurd, and even a bit heart-breaking, however, if you dig a little deeper, they make a lot of sense. Facebook, who owns Instagram, shared that their intentions behind the changes were not to reduce your interaction rates but to promote stronger mental health.
“We are testing this new service because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get,” said a representative of Facebook. The trail of the service is taking place in Mental Health month and proposes to make a massive difference in the lives of struggling teenagers.
Social media sites have come under extreme fire for promoting an unhealthy self-image, as users become obsessive over likes and views as they attribute this interaction as approval. Instagram is dedicated to stopping this trend. So sacrificing a little bit of validation for the greater good could be worth our while, and may even help us to lead happier lives.
