Instagram Is Hiding Likes Again. Should We Rally For Chronological Order?

Here we go again. Instagram is hiding likes in 6 more countries as a test to see if it “reduces pressure” for social media users. 

As of this post, Instagram is testing this hidden likes feature in Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. And the reviews are mixed.

I’m in the USA so this feature doesn’t affect my Instagram…yet. I learned about it this morning when I saw this post (on Instagram, of course). 

Instagram’s hiding likes but the people still want their chronological order back:

Literally!

The sky is falling!

Not this.

Whilst you’re at it…

Once more for the people in the back…

I like this approach:

This guy has a different take:

Asking the big questions:

Does hiding likes defeat the purpose of Instagram? That is the question. My answer? Nope.

The only thing that never changes about social media is that it never stops changing.

…which is why it’s such a risky move to build a business around a social platform’s features and algorithm. You’re building your house on shifting sands.

So, what do we do? Delete Instagram? Rally for chronological order? Quit the Internet?

This is the case for the website, folks.

We know that social media will continue to change. We are not in control. We can tweet our hearts out and Instagram may or may not listen. (If they’ve expanded this hidden likes test from one country to seven, something tells me they’re not going back now.)

When your business depends on a single social media platform, your success is at the mercy of the algorithm.

On the other hand, you own and control your website. Yes, how your website gets found is still technically at the mercy of another algorithm: Google’s.

But here’s the case for continuing to create content on your website (and using social media to promote it, instead of housing it).

Social media, unlike Google, doesn’t index your creative work.

If you’re putting out post after post of juicy, likable content on Instagram, it’s damn near impossible for users to re-discover this content after it drops down into your feed archive. And it’s not coming up in search results, either.

On your website, each post you create is “discoverable” by Google for years to come. And depending on how you showcase it on your site itself, much easier for new and repeat users to find and reference again and again.

A “successful” (i.e. well liked) post on Instagram may make its rounds in the feed for a few days or weeks at most. A successful post on your website can reap rewards for years, allowing you to reach more people and make a bigger impact. All that said…

I’m not quitting Instagram.

Social media is still a core tool for building and nurturing brand awareness, distributing and promoting your content, and growing relationships with your audience.

But if you depend on Instagram likes for your livelihood? There’s only one winner here and it’s not your business.

The next time someone tells you, “You don’t need a website. Just get an Instagram or a Facebook Page,” shove this article in their face.

Instagram and your website work hand in hand. They both need each other. So, instead of rallying Instagram to bring your likes or chronological order back, maybe you should post about it on your website 😉

Oh, and there’s an Awkward Marketing for this. Of course.