Instagram accidentally widely expanded a test to remove public "like" counts on Tuesday.
It was because of a bug, but signals Instagram is still working on potentially removing like counts.
Here's how such a change could impact the influencer industry, according to creators and insiders.
What is Instagram without "like" counts?
Many users found out after Instagram on Tuesday suddenly — and accidentally — expanded widely a test to remove the public displays of the number of likes. The test didn't actually remove the functionality of likes, since creators could still see the total number on the backend of their accounts, and users could still like posts. But it made many contemplate what a world without seeing how many likes a post got would feel like.