Hey book ghoulies and welcome to my first ever "Randi Rant"! I am a pretty opinionated individual whom is normally bursting at the seams with opinions and just itching to voice them. It's actually a family joke that I should have pursued a career as a lawyer solely for my ability to argue (lol).
Back in April 2019, Instagram announced that several countries will be getting the like count removed from public viewing, to be activated in July 2019. Bookstagrammers in these countries did a whole "holy crap, wtf!" thing when this was announced. Especially because receiving rep positions and ARC's are based on engagement (followers, comments, likes). This takes away a LARGE portion of where companies pull their datum from.
Now that we are in January 2020, let's see how this is being implemented and dealt with!
What the removal of the like count looks like.
Keep in mind that the following is my PERSONAL opinion.
Now that the removal of the like view count has been implemented I find myself engaging with my followers through comments more thoroughly! I look at comments like they are gold. They have to be quality. I put effort into getting to know those who comment on my posts and pay extra attention to those who frequent my posts. Hey man, scratch my back and I will scratch yours.
The BIGGEST thing I have noticed is a total attitude shift. Before, I was always checking to see how well my posts were doing. I was engaging to boost my posts and that was the sole reason. Now that the like count isn't posted directly on the post and I have to actually click a few buttons to get to it, I am too lazy to check it. This completely ties into my last point, now I am engaging to get to know my followers instead of just to boost my likes. I mean, I don't see my likes, but I do see my comments!
The biggest concern was how this affects rep positions. I believe that people who haven't had their like count taken away can still see my likes, so it isn't affecting this yet. I have been able to get several positions since the removal of the count. If they decide to go with a global removal, I am unsure about the changes will effect choosing new reps. I would imagine that companies would choose their reps based on followers, aesthetic, and comment engagement.
Taking a step away from bookstagram and looking at the removal at a humanistic scale, I believe this was an incredibly wise decision for Instagram. Think back to when you were an influential teenager and appearances were important. Life beyond high school was unimaginable. Having the like count should help teenagers remove their focus from how well their "selfies" are doing or even how well their peers posts are doing in comparison to their own. The battle of popularity will be halted or at least made more difficult.
I do hope that Instagram takes this global soon!
What are your thoughts on the matter? Did I miss anything?