Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • YouTube Videos
  • Top Categories
  • Subscribe via Email
  • Ask A Question
  • Meet Dave
  • Home
  • d) None of the Above
  • Post Photos on Instagram, but Hide Likes and Views?

Post Photos on Instagram, but Hide Likes and Views?

May 29, 2021 / Dave Taylor / d) None of the Above / 1 Comment

I’m so sick of the endless social pressure of likes on social media. I like posting content on Instagram for my friends, but it’s really hard not to get sucked into the “how many likes did it get?” validation game. Is there a way to post photos on Instagram but block or hide like counts to avoid this madness?

While there’s a lot to like about social media, there are some definite problems too. One of the greatest is what I call “the numbers game” where “influencers” compete for more followers, more views, more likes. At some level it is a self-reinforcing loop, though, because the algorithms that the social networks use to figure out what to surface for users are based on popularity, but there are a lot of problems with this approach too. For one, it’s hard not to get caught up in the madness, asking people to subscribe, like, comment, share, as if more views = more importance. Are people with more views really better human beings? I suspect not.

After years of watching teens and others suffer from the hostile feedback of social networks – even to the point of it showing up in an animated feature film as a sobering joke – these companies are starting to experiment with hiding community votes and engagement. One of the first to do this is Instagram, though its implementation so far is a rather halfhearted solution. Still, you probably have it available in your own Instagram app on your smartphone, so let’s have a look…

HOW TO HIDE VIEWS AND LIKES IN INSTAGRAM

First off, it’s worth noting that you can’t default hide views and likes and that it isn’t a setting that’s front and center as you post content on your Instagram account. For example, here I am poised to post a photo of a storm cloud:

post photo on instagram

Got a comment, got hashtags, identified location, and have even marked that I want to also share it on Facebook and Twitter. So how do I hide view and like counts? That’s found in the barely visible “Advanced Settings” link at the bottom. A tap on that and quite a few more options appear:

instagram post photo - advanced options

There it is, on the very top: “Hide Like and View Counts on This Post“. Interestingly, the comment suggests that there’s a way you can hide other people’s view count and likes on posts you view in your own Instagram, but no way to default seek to hide that on your own posts. Still, a tap to enable “Hide Like and View Counts” and you can go back to the main Instagram post view and proceed.

Once posted, it doesn’t really look much different. Here’s how my Instagram post looks on someone else’s Instagram account:

instagram post with hidden likes views

Notice that they can still like, comment, and share my post as normal. Once there is a “like”, however, the view is just a little different:

instagram post with hidden likes

Instead of showing the count – which in this instance would be 1 – it displays “View Likes”.

Meanwhile, on my own Instagram account I see this:

instagram post with likes views hidden

The tip-off is “and others” rather than “and 7 others” or, perhaps, “and 143k others”. I can View Insights to learn more, or I can simply tap on the Liked by line and find out who liked it. So it’s hidden, sort of, but I’m not sure that this really accomplishes the goal of really taking popularity and votes out of the equation. Do you like some Instagram posts more because they have thousands of views or likes?

My suspicion is that the Instagram team isn’t done with this feature and we’ll see it change over the next few years to more effectively hide this data from posts and from the overall Instagram experience. We’ll see.

Pro Tip: While you’re visiting, please do check out my other Instagram help articles and why not follow me – d1taylor – on Instagram too? Yeah, I like having more followers, I admit it. Thanks!

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
hide instagram likes, hide instagram views, hide likes, hide view count, influencer algorithms, social media popularity

One comment on “Post Photos on Instagram, but Hide Likes and Views?”

  1. Umesh Chaudhary says:
    June 6, 2021 at 10:57 am

    Hey Dave,

    Thanks for the great post.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • How Can I Share My Netflix Account With My Friend? [Updated for 2023]
  • How to Check Energy Recommendations on your Windows Laptop
  • How Do I Customize New Tab Windows in Safari for Mac?
  • Can AI-Generated ChatGPT Text Be Accurately Identified?
  • How to Perform a Microsoft Account Security Audit and Checkup

On Our YouTube Channel

How to: Replace a Switchbot Door Sensor Battery

EMEET Luna vs INNOTRIK Studio Bluetooth Speakerphones -- DEMOS & REVIEW

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help (163)
  • Android Help (226)
  • Apple iPad Help (147)
  • Apple Watch Help (53)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (346)
  • Auto Tech Help (15)
  • Business Advice (200)
  • ChromeOS Help (31)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (779)
  • d) None of the Above (166)
  • Facebook Help (383)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (188)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (247)
  • Instagram Help (49)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (623)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • Kindle & Nook Help (99)
  • LinkedIn Help (88)
  • Linux Help (173)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (89)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (911)
  • Most Popular (16)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (33)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (54)
  • Reddit Help (19)
  • SEO & Marketing (82)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (95)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (220)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows PC Help (947)
  • Wordpress Help (206)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (47)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (62)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2023 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy