The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Instagram is launching a small global test on Wednesday where users can choose whether to hide like counts on their own posts or other people’s posts, a Facebook spokeswoman said.
The photo-sharing site, which is owned by Facebook Inc , said this latest test came after seeing mixed responses to its experiments in which it removed likes, commonly used as a measure of popularity.
“In 2019, we started hiding like counts for a small group of people to understand if it lessens some pressure when posting to Instagram,” the spokeswoman said in a statement. “Some people found this beneficial but some still wanted to see like counts so they could track what’s popular.”
Facebook is also exploring a similar experience which will roll out in the coming weeks, she said, in response to users calling for more controls over how they interact with content on the platform. Facebook has previously tested hiding likes on others’ posts in Australia.
ADVERTISEMENT
Last month, Instagram accidentally hid likes for a large number of users in what was meant to be a small test, garnering strong reactions. Some users viewed it as an important step for users’ mental health, while others saw it as catastrophic for creators partnering with brands. Likes are expressed through pressing a heart-shaped icon on a user’s post.
Users in the Instagram test will still be able to privately see their own like count. The test will involve a small percentage of global users, but the company declined to say how many.
By Elizabeth Culliford; Editor: Bernadette Baum
Zero10 offers digital solutions through AR mirrors, leveraged in-store and in window displays, to brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Coach. Co-founder and CEO George Yashin discusses the latest advancements in AR and how fashion companies can leverage the technology to boost consumer experiences via retail touchpoints and brand experiences.
Four years ago, when the Trump administration threatened to ban TikTok in the US, its Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd. worked out a preliminary deal to sell the short video app’s business. Not this time.
Brands are using them for design tasks, in their marketing, on their e-commerce sites and in augmented-reality experiences such as virtual try-on, with more applications still emerging.
Brands including LVMH’s Fred, TAG Heuer and Prada, whose lab-grown diamond supplier Snow speaks for the first time, have all unveiled products with man-made stones as they look to technology for new creative possibilities.