The Instagram restriction of "I love" is a step forward to tap the economy of influence

Instagram's decision to no longer display the "I Love" publications on the social media platform has been hailed by Australian entrepreneur Sarah Holloway.

"It's a great way to democratize the landscape – some accounts with crazy numbers discourage other users," she says. "It's hard to keep everyone engaged and excited with the platform if they feel crappy all the time."

With 62,000 followers on his personal Instagram account, Holloway is an expert on how to leverage the social media platform to start a business.

Its Matcha Maiden online matcha business (89,000 subscribers) and its Matcha Mylkbar coffee (84,000 subscribers) generate more than A $ 2 million (NZ $ 2.1 million) a year and it closely monitors the company's business. impact of the move of Instagram.

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Instagram describes the change as a "test" and puts the focus on the impact on the well-being of users, Instagram ranking previously as the worst social media platform for users' mental health.

Mia Garlick, policy director for Facebook in Australia and New Zealand, said that limiting the "likes" so that users can only see what they want, that's it's Make sure Instagram is a place where people feel comfortable to express themselves.

"We hope this test will dispel the number of" likes "that a message will receive, so you can focus on sharing the things you love," she says.

"We are currently testing in Australia so we can learn more about how this can benefit people's experiences on Instagram and if this change can help people focus less on their tastes and more to tell their story. "

Garlick says the test is motivated by Instagram's commitment to wellness.

"We are rethinking all of Instagram's experience to solve wellness issues and ensure the Instagram community has a positive experience on our platform," she said.

However, many users believe that the change aims to generate more advertising than the concerns of customers.

Belinda Barnet, a senior lecturer in media at Swinburne University of Technology, says she's "100% sure" that Instagram has a strong case for removing tastes.

"I am also 100% sure that the business case does not include" improving the mental health "of users," she said.

"It's a big blow and so they would have a very good financial or strategic reason to do it.I do not think that they would make a hit so risky for public relations purposes.You do not play with people like his, but get people to think you care about mental health. "

Barnet said that "the economy of influence", where companies charge money to companies to publish them on Instagram, is an area in which the platform wants to tap.

"Influential people on Instagram can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per publication, depending on who you're talking to, and these transactions take place off the platform," she says.

"This is not the end of influencers because you can always see how many followers have people, but the instant public success of the publications will certainly suffer."

Barnet said that "I like" were still visible to advertisers and businesses. As a result, the "same economy" was becoming a product of choice for companies.

"Downstream, it's possible they hide subscribers, unless you're also a professional page or advertiser," she says. "It hurts people who are making money with the platform without compensating the platform itself, namely the influencers."

Garlick says that unlike standard users, companies will have a clear visibility of likes on Instagram.

"For companies and creators on Instagram, this test will not affect measurement tools such as Insights or Ads Manager," she says. "Companies will have access to the same mobilization measures and reporting tools as before the test."

Holloway reported that 8,000 people had received a maximum of "I like" for an article and she noticed a slight decrease in the number of "likes" received since Instagram implemented this change.

She is not discouraged by the reasoning behind the change of Instagram.

"Even if it's not necessarily altruistic, I think it will have a positive impact and will result in more diverse content rather than the type of messages that arouse a lot of taste," she says.

"This will probably push brands to advertise via Instagram so that they can see this information – I do not care why they do it if the end result is positive."