Honesty Hour: Are you a fan of a like-free Instagram?

I’m going to be real: the last time I hosted an Honesty Hour on my blog was last year. It’s been one of those features I wanted to make consistent but didn’t yet have the rhythms to back it up. But guess what?! We are back to Honesty Hour and I know this will be a good one to dig into!

For anyone who isn’t familiar with Honesty Hour, this is a blog feature where you and I get to engage in the comments with one another and other readers! It’s basically a party of thoughts + opinions. A dialogue. A chance to connect. Each Honesty Hour post (now coming once a month) features a question or a theme and I really value your input + wisdom.

So, in honor of all the social media talk on this blog as of late, I want to tell you a little bit about something Instagram is up to…

Instagram recently announced that it is trying out something new with some users in Canada. They’re experimenting with a like-free environment. The creators of Instagram are always looking to deter the negative impacts of social media and so I believe this is an effort to take the pressure off of people and bring the focus back to content. I’ve actually talked to some readers who’ve already said they’re experiencing this shift in Canada and LOVING IT.

Now the owner of the Instagram account can still see how many likes they have but it will no longer be made public. Some people feel anger. Others feel relief. One expert in social media said that taking away the “likes” on a post doesn’t change the way social media has an impact on our thoughts and feelings. But what do you think? Do you think it is a good idea? Have you ever felt like your mood or feelings has been attached to the number of likes you get? Do you pay attention to the number?