Facebook announced a number of new features coming to the Instagram app later this year, but perhaps the most important change didn’t get a mention during the F8 conference on Tuesday.
The photo and video sharing app is currently testing a change that would hide the number of likes each post has received.
The public face of the change is geared towards helping followers focus on the actual content, rather than the number of likes received. However, the likelihood is Instagram will use this as a way of purging the fake likes epidemic.
Facebook is currently suing a New Zealand-based company flogging fake Instagram engagement in the form of likes and followers, so it’s clearly on the social network’s mind.
In a statement to TechCrunch, the company said: “Later this week, we’re running a test in Canada that removes the total number of likes on photos and video views in Feed, Permalink pages and Profile.
“We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get.”
Elsewhere at F8, Instagram revealed a new Camera and Create Mode for its Stories feature, which now has half a billion active users each day.
“In the coming weeks, we’ll introduce a new camera design including Create Mode, which gives you an easy way to share without a photo or video,” the company writes in a blog post.
“This new camera will make it simpler to use popular creative tools like effects and interactive stickers, so you can express yourself more freely.”
The company is also giving users the ability to shop for content without leaving Instagram. They’ll be able to tap on what creators are wearing and buy the item there and then.
Finally, Instagram is also adding the ability to make donations to non-profit companies via an Instagram Stories sticker. Users can choose which non-profit company they’d like to support and know 100% of donations will go to the cause in question.
Which of the new Instagram feature will you be embracing? Let us know @TruastedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
