American influencer and YouTube star Tana Mongeau has told her 1.9 million-strong Twitter audience that she will be looking for a new job because her Instagram likes were “gone”, as the service begins testing its new policy in the US this week.
my instagram likes are gone
— Tana Mongeau (@tanamongeau) November 16, 2019
time for a new job 🤧
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently announced that the platform’s next step would begin starting 11 November and it would involve hiding likes for a number of users in its main market, the United States. The move comes as part of an effort to make the platform less toxic for its users. The policy has already been tested in several other countries including Canada and Australia, where the number of likes or little heart icons was hidden from the Instagram feed of a selected number of users.
Heads up! We've been testing making likes private on Instagram in a number of countries this year. We're expanding those tests to include a small portion of people in the US next week. Looking forward to the feedback!
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) November 9, 2019
Although the chosen individuals were still able to see who liked their posts, their followers were not aware of the count - which has usually been seen as something crucial for celebrities and media influencers, who are highly dependent on the number of likes in order to pair with brands that would consider their profiles for advertising purposes. Tana Mongeau is believed to be just one of the individuals recently hurt by the move.
While many Twitter users supported the blogger’s complaint, some suggested that it was just a new beginning and now she could move to another industry, especially if the policy is made permanent.
it’s over
— maya (@scandalousthong) November 16, 2019
Time to be a pornstar!!!
— im ur dad (@KamiPetty8) November 16, 2019
we'll assume you're doing amazing
— destiny 💞 (@tanamariemoreno) November 16, 2019
Mongeau is not the only celebrity who has recently complained about Instagram’s move, with rapper and singer Nicky Minaj, who has more than 100 million followers on her page, on 6 November announcing that she wouldn’t be making any more posts on Instagram following its new policy.
I’m not posting on IG after this week cuz they removing the likes. Hmmmm what should I get into now? Think of all the time I’ll have with my new life
— Mrs. Petty (@NICKIMINAJ) November 9, 2019
American TV show personality Kim Kardashian West has fully endorsed the move, by saying that this will contribute to a healthier environment on the internet and would be beneficial for younger people. It is not yet clear whether Instagram will make this change permanent.
