Instagram’s “Like” Epidemic

You hit “post” on a photo you love and feel super confident about, only to have that confidence shattered by the number of likes you receive—or rather, the lack of them. As you begin wondering whether you should have posted the photo in the first place, countless thoughts run through your mind—but do you ever stop and ask yourself, “Why am I thinking like this at all?”

The days where Instagram was treated as a digital photo album are over—but why did they ever end? The answer is simple: Instagram became a popularity contest. Rather than remaining a safe space to share memories, as it was originally intended, the platform became a place where people judge themselves and others based on the number of likes a post receives. 

When said outloud, it sounds a bit bizarre: “Virtual likes determine the quality of a photo.” Think about it— society has conditioned us to believe that our social status is determined by whether a post receives one hundred likes, or only sixty. But why? 

It has gotten to a point where many people no longer feel comfortable posting photos—especially unedited ones—without first trying to achieve perfection and ensure they will receive an abundance of likes. In fact, this competition over likes has become extremely overwhelming that Instagram eventually introduced an option that allowed users to hide the number of likes their posts receive.

While that may have seemed like a solution to the “like” epidemic—and a way to eliminate users’ insecurities when posting—it wasn’t. People’s insecurities continue to be fueled by the number of likes their photos receive. That mindset often looks something like this: Fewer than one hundred likes means poor engagement, while more than one hundred likes means the post performed well. Once you look at your likes and decide that the post did not “perform” as well as you had hoped, the insecurity begins to set in. 

At that point, you are filled with an unexplainable feeling of embarrassment and just want to delete the photo and never open the app again. That is until the next time you decide to try again, convinced that a new photo will perform really well— only to be met with the same disappointment. 

You are immediately left wondering whether it was you or what you could have done differently. Were you pretty enough in the photo? Did you edit correctly?  Did you use the right caption? Did you post at the correct time? Isn’t that exhausting? Doesn't it sound pointless, even? Why can't we simply post photos however and whenever we want, without constantly striving for perfection or fearing that we will somehow fall short? 

Let’s not forget how often we compare ourselves to others based on the number of likes their posts receive compared to our own. If someone else’s post receives more likes, you may begin to believe that they are prettier, more popular, or more well-liked than you are, when in reality, that could not be further from the truth. 

Unfortunately, Instagram's algorithm and the number of followers you have—which is another ridiculous phenomenon in itself—also play a role in how many likes your posts receive. But honestly, does any of it really matter? Why can't we just post photos that make us feel good? Why do we have to stress over capturing the perfect shot that will align with Instagram's so-called “standards?” Why do we allow what others’ perceptions of us determine how we feel about ourselves? No matter how much you claim that none of this bothers you, it has certainly affected you at one point or another. 

Instagram likes and the fear of not being “good enough” have plagued our minds and made us feel unworthy compared to others. At some point, we have to realize just how much society has become consumed by it all, and ask why we can't simply treat Instagram like the digital diary it was intended as. Since when did a number beneath a photo on an app determine how we feel about ourselves? Ultimately, what matters most is not how many people like our photos, but rather that we like ourselves.