Instagram testing new setting to hide likes, Facebook to follow suit

The novel coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health, what with the rolling lockdowns and social distancing. Thankfully, social media has been an excellent support system for almost everyone, connecting us when we can’t meet in person. However, the same social pressure that existed before the pandemic hit – tied to likes on posts, hasn’t really gone away. Instagram and Facebook will now begin a new test to allow users to control whether they see like counts on the company’s services.

Readers may recall that Instagram was already working on (and testing in limited areas) hiding likes for certain users, but it seems that the company’s work on the ‘feature’ was delayed thanks to the pandemic –