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Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

bbc.com

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Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#41

Post by yoavm »

totaldex wrote: post #30
dewey wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Users will be forced into a new dilemma: Enable likes and accept the 'social media pressure', or announce to everyone that they harbor some sort of insecurity about their social media status by turning them off. Isn't that just for your own view? Others will still see the likes I'm assuming?

It appears that this setting controls cross-account like visibility on posts: "Even if a user has Like Counts enabled, they will not be able to see the number of likes on accounts or posts that have hidden them."

Sounds like the perfect solution if you want to say "we are releasing features that support a healthy usage of the our app", and at the same time make sure no one uses these features!

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#42

Post by tomcooks »

totaldex wrote: post #10

Even with positive intentions, I'm not convinced this will solve the problem in any meaningful way. Turning off likes might be perceived as someone being unhappy with their social media status relative to their peers (ie, not getting as many 'likes' as their friends), which signals its own stigma. Users will be forced into a new dilemma: Enable likes and accept the 'social media pressure', or announce to everyone tha…

It's almost as if the company that runs Instagram wants you to feel like they are truly, honestly, really, properly interested in losing the core of their business for the sake of your own mental health and the psychological wellbeing of society in general

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#43

Post by patrickmcnamara »

totaldex wrote: post #10

Even with positive intentions, I'm not convinced this will solve the problem in any meaningful way. Turning off likes might be perceived as someone being unhappy with their social media status relative to their peers (ie, not getting as many 'likes' as their friends), which signals its own stigma. Users will be forced into a new dilemma: Enable likes and accept the 'social media pressure', or announce to everyone tha…

When they were testing this in Ireland over the last year, there was no option to see likes at all. That probably makes more sense than this.

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#44

Post by rsgrn »

headmelted wrote: post #33
e17 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the BBC that is getting dumber, not you my friend. I check in with the headlines every now and then and every time it's either government propaganda or bullshit Love Island celebrity nonsense.

Also, why are we being forced to subsidize EastEnders? Whats the public benefit from that rubbish? CBeebies, CBBC - cool. Public benefit makes sense. BBC Science and Documentaries - Public benefit. Fully justifiable. EastEnders - Pay money to make other people less intelligent or we’ll fine you.

I've never thought of EastEnders from that perspective. I don't disagree.

In theory, it could be used as a method of creating awareness and discussion of important life topics in a real life like familiar setting. And you can sort of see how they try to do that... but the need to have some new dramatic event every six weeks overshadows it.

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#45

Post by durovo »

offtop5 wrote: post #36
simonswords82 wrote: post #16

In my view this is Instagram providing platitudes in an attempt get ahead of a growing consensus that social media is bad for people and society overall The harm inflicted by social media is infinitely more complex and sinister than a simple count of likes on posts.

I'll give it another 5 years before social media is viewed on the same level as cigarettes. The best thing I've ever done for my mental health was deleting social media. I realize I'm not significant enough to argue of other people about my own life. As long as you're not harming anyone else you're free to do whatever you want. Social media says no you have to shape your entire life around what people you'll never me…

And now you hang out at HN which is totally different from social media. Where people never seek approval from the masses. Chastising other people as a concept does not exist on HN.

HN, the not-social media, does not even have a concept of likes.

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#46

Post by mattgreenrocks »

headmelted wrote: post #29
papito wrote: post #14

What I really need is a way to lock myself out of the account, especially Twitter, without suspending it. Like, disable the login for a day, but I am still on the platform. The electric fences I put up myself never work.

This is all anecdotal but I committed social media digicide a short while ago because I didn’t like how it was affecting my life. Constantly checking for likes, feeling an urge to participate in conversations to feel like “an important voice”. I got to the point where it wasn’t just directly affecting me but also the amount of attention I was giving my kids had dropped enough that I was mad at myself for becoming “th…

I found myself fantasizing about social media digicide, so I went for it.

Totally worth it. You’ll know when you’re ready for it.

I do miss keeping in touch with some older friends via my FB account. There is certainly a cost.

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#47

Post by hhh »

72deluxe wrote: post #35
papito wrote: post #14

What I really need is a way to lock myself out of the account, especially Twitter, without suspending it. Like, disable the login for a day, but I am still on the platform. The electric fences I put up myself never work.

Have you tried just not using it?? Or developing self control?? Surely it's like saying bottles need to be harder to get into because I like drinking alcohol too much... Or cars need to accelerate slower because I love speeding and can't resist permanently holding down the accelerator pedal, even at risk to my own health and wellbeing

I don’t think this is a fair comparison. Phones are on people essentially 24/7 now, there are few/no times where you are not connected. For alcoholism, a fair comparison would be a flask that buzzes to remind you it’s there and tell you there’s something you should check inside.

Telling people to just ‘develop self control’ is extremely hard when on a societal scale, these services are becoming increasingly interwoven with daily life and participation in wider society. Opting out is an active choice to move against the grain, and you could suffer socially for it. This isn’t something that should weigh on one person alone.

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#48

Post by selfhoster11 »

totaldex wrote: post #10

Even with positive intentions, I'm not convinced this will solve the problem in any meaningful way. Turning off likes might be perceived as someone being unhappy with their social media status relative to their peers (ie, not getting as many 'likes' as their friends), which signals its own stigma. Users will be forced into a new dilemma: Enable likes and accept the 'social media pressure', or announce to everyone tha…

I doubt that such stigma will be very widespread. There's been a renewed focus within the society to focus on digital well-being, screen time, and general mental wellness connected to the overuse of social media platforms and smartphones. People will try this feature just out of curiosity, and be able to tell their peers about non-social standing related reasons for why it's useful.

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#49

Post by cianmm »

patrickmcnamara wrote: post #43
totaldex wrote: post #10

Even with positive intentions, I'm not convinced this will solve the problem in any meaningful way. Turning off likes might be perceived as someone being unhappy with their social media status relative to their peers (ie, not getting as many 'likes' as their friends), which signals its own stigma. Users will be forced into a new dilemma: Enable likes and accept the 'social media pressure', or announce to everyone tha…

When they were testing this in Ireland over the last year, there was no option to see likes at all. That probably makes more sense than this.

I enjoyed that, it was quite a bit nicer.

Re: Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure

#50

Post by TimonKnigge »

pjerem wrote: post #31
papito wrote: post #14

What I really need is a way to lock myself out of the account, especially Twitter, without suspending it. Like, disable the login for a day, but I am still on the platform. The electric fences I put up myself never work.

Simple solution : random password that you don’t save anywhere. Now you must rely on account recovery to log back in. If you feel more safe, you can also print it and store it in a drawer :)

As an extra step you could also redirect the relevant domain to `0.0.0.0` in your `/etc/hosts`.
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