Instagram Updates: Mental Health First, Likes & Comments Second

This week, Instagram will be removing the Following tab in their app, where users can view the activities of everyone they're following. Despite this feature being out for more than five years, not everyone was aware of the feature.

The Following tab was first introduced in 2011, marketed as an account discover tool from which users can catch up with what their friends, family members, frenemies and more are doing on Instagram.

As long as you follow the user, you can view their activities in real-time - which post they like, what they commented and so on.

Instagram users will see the tab being removed within this week, although users from other countries have reported it being missing from last month as well.

Part of the reason for the removal of this feature is that users have reported feeling paranoid about their activities being seen & judged for the posts that they interact with, but there's also the relatively new feature, the explore tab.

Earlier last year, Instagram also rolled out the Explore tab, which shows you the type of content that you should be able to enjoy.

Instagram algorithm looks into the accounts you follow, posts that you engage with and more to find similar posts and show them to you.

The explore tab has also come to include tabs on the top, including IGTV and shopping feature. Users can browse their explore section, finding posts that are relevant to them.

Users can then click into the posts & the poster's account to view other similar posts. With any luck, they'd find new accounts to follow!

Instagram is also taking steps to make users feel less insecure or pressured about posting on the highly aesthetic social media platform.

While still in beta testing, Instagram has removed the number of total likes on posts to help users feel less pressured when posting. This experiment is running in several different countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan & Italy among others.

As an example, viewers to a post will see 'Liked by Username & others" rather than "Liked by Username & 12 others". The original poster of the images meanwhile will still be able to see how many likes in total their posts garner.

With the number of total likes removed, Instagram hopes that users will be less focused on the amount of attention they get, but rather, focus on telling their story and share what they love.

This move was performed in light of studies linking social media platform usage to mental health issues, especially in terms of self-esteem.

Earlier in July, Instagram also revealed their plans to curb online bullying.