Zooming In on the Like Button

Beginning in 2019 and lasting all the way up until today, Facebook (now, Meta) researchers have been looking into the purpose of the “like button.” For younger users, gaining a certain number of likes, on a variety of different platforms, has caused high levels of anxiety and has pushed social media into a toxic realm. 

With these thoughts in mind, Facebook and Instagram have tried eliminating the number of likes that are presented to the public eye. However, it didn't quite have the results that they had intended.

They found that users did not interact with posts as much when the like button was hidden, and it did not alleviate users’ stresses and anxieties. 

This raises the question: are social media platforms that involve posting photos pointless without likes?

Karleigh Fisher, a current sophomore, weighs in on how the like button has impacted her Instagram experiences: “As bad as it sounds, I feel as though how many likes I think I will get greatly influences what I will post, and if I am not getting as many as I’d hoped, I turn the like numbers off.” 

An Oxford Internet Institute study that assessed the impact of the like button on users’ mental health finds, “there was little association between social media use and mental health in teenagers.” 

Removing the like button/number of likes ultimately can do more damage to social media platforms than help. Applications such as Instagram and Facebook would lose a great portion of the activity that they gain on a daily basis. For females especially, the possibility of these platforms to lose their appeal would be a great threat. 

In males, the like button may not have as much of an impact as within females.

“The main social media platform that I use is Instagram, and when I post, I’m not normally thinking about the number of likes that I get,” says sophomore Danny Rutowicz. “I normally only care about the comments.” 

The pressure to look a certain way will always be a negative part of social media, but removing the number of likes will not likely change the issue. Rather than trying to remove the numbers, changing the point of using those applications should be promoted. 

Ultimately, creating a narrative of a “pressure-free” way to share any photos that users choose should be promoted. All different types of platforms could make a great impact on the mental health of millions by encouraging users to post anything that they want, rather than what they think they should be posting.

Image from Unsplash.