• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • CONTACT
  • beauty
  • Tech
  • travel

oh hey, pretty

I'm a dessert enabler & skincare addict. we'll eat the good stuff & push through the rough stuff

lifestyle mental health motivation rants Tech technology wellness

Instagram – Hiding Likes, Algorithm Changes, and Cyberbullying

August 7, 2019

Wowza, now that’s a mouth full but here goes! Prepare yourselves for my word vomit. I’m not holding back.

So as you know, every day it seems like Instagram and other social platforms are changing their algorithms and policies. Or maybe you don’t know and therefore don’t care because it doesn’t affect you? *high five to you* But since there’s a lot of anxiety and frustration surrounding all the changes within the community, today I want to talk about:


  1. if and how it could affect creators (all users really, but specifically to those brand deal negotiators)
  2. what you can really do to keep up with the fackking algorithms and changes (other than chuck your laptop out the window)
  3. cyber bullying/ competition/ mob mentality/ ego- how I really feel. Here’s a preview: Instagram can suck it.

Fine, I’ll admit that came out harsh. Not wrong, because that’s how I actually feel but let me tell you why something as little as an app on a phone can really rile me up. I’ll start here.

1) does it affect its users? Okay, so if your money maker is a platform like Instagram where you team up with brands on the reg and they pay you to create content for a campaign (i.e. my Palmers hair care campaign) sure, maybe. But that depends on you and what you’re willing to do. Or not do rather. The algorithm is ever changing because their motives are to keep users on the app longer. Like all damn day. Like, don’t have a life and if you do, live it ON Instagram. They no longer feature the chronological feeds because they want to give you the content that you’ve proven to interact with the most.

It’s not you, it’s them. But it’s because of you that it’s them.

Hence, everyone and their mother made those “turn on my notifications” posts. See, the more you interact with someone’s content (watch stories, like, comment, blah blah) the more IG will prioritize that content for you. Not bad if you really think about it, they’re simply trying to curate content for you in the same way YouTube killed their Home page. But kinda sucks ass for creators because we’re constantly keeping up with ‘trends’, reaching for ‘low hanging fruit’… and all the other bad jargon that comes from it. It’s like this: there are people who base-line interact with your content and people who don’t interact at all because they’re just lurking or scrolling mindlessly through their feeds (I actually scroll mindlessly quite often. It’s not an app I want to open up and think about ya know). Well those interactions aren’t technically ‘interactions’ and now they don’t count towards your algorithm see? Because it’s not a human being making the decisions it’s all code baby.

ABANDON YOUR INSTAGRAM PODS

This is a whole other article I need to write. There’s a lot you may be doing to actually hurt you on IG, but we’ll talk about that later. My point in saying that is, there are things you can do to help move with the changes.

2) What can I do to keep up with all the changes? What I really meant to say was, “there are things you can do to try and beat the system”, but the system is a machine and you are not Johnny Five. Looping back around to the ‘things you may or may not be willing to do’ bit. If you’ve noticed a dip in all around interactions, views, Likes yada yada- here are the things you can do to basically be in everyone’s faces all of the time, which makes the machine go, “oh yea, we like this person, they’re really using every feature. Lets push out their content more”.

  • really use every feature. a) IG Live- at least once a week, even for a few minutes. Some people go Live every day. I am not those people. But I applaud their dedication b) story story story- on the daily. Oh you’ve been seeing people story more? Like a dozen times? Ya, they either love talking to the camera or they are trying to use every feature more c) In-feed post at least once a day. Post videos in feed at least once a week. Use the carousel feature in-feed as much as you can without going bonkers d) IGTV- at least once a week z) yes I said z because damn, anything else they want us to do? So z- use the GIFs, the Swipe Up feature, link all the things, use stickers…just go NUTS in your stories making them so fucking interactive that no one even knows what the hell you’re talking about anymore

Oh she mad.

Nah, she’s just done trying to dance when they tell me to dance. I’m venting here but I’d by lying if I said I didn’t do any of these things. I actually do ALL of them. It’s my job (I chose this, no regrets but sheesh can ya give the girl a breather) to overshare. I actually choose what I want to share very carefully because it’s a very vulnerable thing to do and also, that’s a lot of pressure for anyone I think. At the end of the day, my ‘job’ heavily relies on engagement and on how frequently I post to my blog, YouTube, and social media platforms. Sleep? I hardly know her.

If you have an audience on any platform, it’s my personal belief that you have a public responsibility to not fuck people up in the head

I told you, I’m not holding back. I say: HIDE THE LIKES. BUHBYEEE!!! Cool, let me focus on quality over quantity, let me breathe and not worry about if a brand will pass on my pitch just because it’s not getting enough ‘engagement’. I just think there’s a lot of ‘influencers’ who use their influence for BS and share a life that is unattainable to 99% of the real world. People talk about things without realizing that it actually influences young minds. I’ve been guilty of it myself, trust. The highlight reel is anything but REAL. I found myself pivoting my own conversations with my audience to try and do as much as I can- well as much as you can do really, on an application, without sounding cheesy or preachy. <— that is v hard to draw the line on. I actually like the idea of hiding likes because it

  • relieves people of the pressure-  “how many likes did I get”. That fake scale of self worth should be burned with fire.
  • no competition & comparison- or the reduction of, at least. Sadly a lot of this will exist whether or not the app actually exists and that’s a sad reality. The mob mentality on any public forum is REAL. And the egos and insecurities that drive people to bully others and to personally seek them out to attack them is disgusting. I’ve experienced so much of this myself and it’s got to stop. I don’t know who or how or when but can it stop already? Kids are dying, kids are killing themselves and others, and it’s sickening. Does this not haunt you? PS I’m talking specifically about our youth here. Yes adults too, but young impressionable minds are young and impressionable.
  • brands will measure worth more accurately and fairly- it will not be quantitive. But quality will actually matter when considering who hires who and P.S. brands will still have access to metrics and we’ll all still be obligated to disclose partnerships in accordance with FTC regulations. So this should not affect backend number stuff
  • less invasive and more truthful- people will Like the things they truly like and interact with things they truly want to interact with. And honestly, they’re probably already doing that. So often, the Likes equate to validation and clout. I understand that IG’s choice to hide Likes is probably less about wanting to do good in the world, and more about marketing tactics and making more money BUT I’d like to think that this change would be a good thing.

At the end of the day we can’t let this stuff affect us. We either go with the flow or riot right? LOL There’s a lot of things to give your energy to in your life. That’s the real stuff that affects us. All we can really do with the internet part of it, is to keep creating the things we want to share with the world + be our most authentic selves as much we can + stay sane through this crazy time in life. I mean, most of us only had to worry about someone at school passing us a note by accident, not posting about us to THE WORLD.

I know that was a lot. I just really wanted to talk about this since it’s been all over my emails, my work life, and the community. I’d really like to know what you think. And HEY, if you just wanna post about your life and not make it a drama with ‘morals of the story’ and ‘lessons we learned today’, that’s absolutely okay! But if that’s something you’re doing… does any of this make you go hmmmmm?

Are you affected? Do you care or nah? Have you seen the changes and what do you think of all this social media madness? P.S. thank you for always supporting me. Reading my posts, interacting with me on the Gram, all the things- it all shows your love and support so thank you so muches<3

• Prev Post
Next Post •

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Paige says

    Aug 2019 at 3:22 pm

    Yes! Totally agree, I hope this change helps.. and I still dont understand what their goal is with hiding the likes, but I hope part of it is to help people focus on good content that they want to share – and not be driven to do whatever it takes for likes.. also I hope it helps kids not feel like they aren’t good enough if they don’t have as many likes as someone else. Hopefully it works out for the best!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Hoppin' On The Hype Beast - oh hey, pretty says:
    Jan 2021 at 12:17 pm

    […] trends when some of them feel quite tragic. I actually deep dive into this topic all about IG here… be ready for my Ted talk. The greatest thing though is that we can choose to participate or stand by, and the magical thing […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome! I’m Jess, I was a teen mom turned full-time lifestyle blogger and content creator. I started this blog about 8 years ago because I love sharing my life with you. Today, my daughter Corrine and I travel around sharing our foodie adventures and style selects. I talk about my mom life, the realness of relationships, the reality of having a 23 year old daughter (hey empty nest syndrome), and my work as a wellness Coach. We’ll cook together, cry together and sweat together. I’ll be your dessert enabler and fellow skincare addict. Let’s eat the good stuff and push through the rough stuff. Love, Mama Lizama <3

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

Chasing The Collagen

Chasing The Collagen

Productivity vs Complexity

Productivity vs Complexity

What My Past Relationships Has Taught Me

What My Past Relationships Has Taught Me

Hoppin’ On The Hype Beast

Hoppin’ On The Hype Beast

The Re-Introduction

The Re-Introduction

Get you someone who looks at you the way you look Get you someone who looks at you the way you look at you 😂

I’m just trying to remain a vampire over here, this is 39. It’s easy too, ALL I do is my morning and evening skincare routines, sleep, water, vitamins, hydration, circulation, sun screen, and a partridge in a pear tree

I kid! Promise it’s not that dramatic. I’m sharing my mask-wearing-problematic-skincare routine with you over on my blog {linked in my bio} and all things Gua Shaaaaa *woosaaaaa baby* @oseamalibu I’m lookin’ at you on this one!

So tell me, do you gua sha or face roll with ice? Oh that sounds fancy

#mamalizama #skincare #routine #guasha #osea #chasingcollagen
Monday mood: noods. This is me today sans noodles. Monday mood: noods. This is me today sans noodles. And makeup. And ringlight. I’m basically a foot right now

So being productive on a day where I’d rather be a potato requires me to negotiate with myself. Up on my blog now {linked in my bio} are the three things that clutter my day and how I tackle them like a pro line backer

“Complexity is the enemy of execution” - Tony Robbins. Isn’t that the truth! Check it out and let me know what time management tools you use, share with me and let’s all be potatoes together. Productive potatoes <3

#productivepotato #mamalizama #blog #productivity #caseofthemondays #timemanagement aka #timemachine
So angsty... sharing what my past relationships ha So angsty... sharing what my past relationships have taught me over on my blog. Sucksville SUCKS I know. 🎶When your heart just shatters, too many pieces to pick it up, smiling through the pain…

“Don't give up on love when it doesn't work out the first time
Close your eyes and trust that you gotta get low to get high
The world's full of second chances, you gotta keep on dancing”

Don’t give up on anything for that matter. Traveling through Sucksville sucks but you've gotta put one foot in front of the other, walk (or sprint) through it, feel it, heal it, and learn from it. Love, me - the girl who’s been married twice and some how kept truckin’ right along long enough to share my deep thoughts with you. Did I leave anything out? {linked in my bio} ❤️

P.S. no I’m not single again, this is a rough season for some and I’m just sharing my two cents xx
A lil pick me up. Feeling like a normal human bean A lil pick me up. Feeling like a normal human bean after getting my hair trimmed with some flare by @byemilyhedicke! She called it “adding some fun” and it was all funs

Thank you Emily for taking care of us and ensuring we felt safe and calm throughout this craze... masks on, tunes up! You are a national treasure

There’s a lot happening in our world, I hope you can find some calm in your day and maybe a lil somethin somethin that perks you up. A) strong af coffee B) fresh hair cut C) mezcal on the rocks D) tv time on the couch in your pjs Z) a good book + a brownie .... what are you having???
Just taking it one day at a time over here, enter Just taking it one day at a time over here, enter Acey boi. His face is how I feel about what happened yesterday at our capitol and how I feel about people calling it a protest. Protest my butt

Up on my blog now, hoppin’ on the hype beast, what 2020 memes taught us, and what I hope 2021 brings more of

Authenticity Vs Accessibility, let’s talk about {linked in my bio} ❤️

#mamalizama #blog #letsbebetterhumanbeans #yorkie #aceyboi
The re-introduction is real! Sharing some deep div The re-introduction is real! Sharing some deep dive topics and fun facts about me up on my blog. Whether you knew them or not, hello again you <3

I think if we can share more about what makes us up as a real human bean- what makes us tick, the deep traumas and our life wins... that we can all be more empathetic to one another. Are you out there? Yes I said human bean

Linked in my bio {JessLizama.com} : my relationships, the glam, the NOT so glam, the real ishh. It’s all there, mostly. More importantly you’re here. I’m here. Being good human beans to one another ❤️

#mamalizama #blogger #newyears
Proud girlfriend moment over here! @thezoereport n Proud girlfriend moment over here! @thezoereport named @laceystonefitness’s Zoom classes as one of the top 7 best virtual workout finds of 2020 and I’m so proud to be a part of Lacey’s legacy and this squad and among all of these other incredible instructors like @toneitup @bodybysimone @ashleybordenfitness @allymisslove with @onepeloton to name a few!

If you haven’t tried our virtual full-body bootcamp yet, we got you! We teach every Tuesday at 8 a.m., Friday at 8 a.m. and Saturday at 8:30 a.m. PST! Registration for next week's classes is in my bio link and if you DM now, 3 lucky winners will get 1 FREE Zoom class on us! (Can't make it live? That's okay! You can register and get the playback link later. We’ve got you covered Zoom parenting!)

2020 brought many things but a bright spot for me was waking up each day to Lacey and watching you all enter the Zoom room as we made LSF headquarters the place to be! The at-home gym that we thought would only last a few classes turned into 135 Zoom boom booms with YOU. Thank you for trusting us with your head, heart, and physical wellness and thank you @thezoereport for the inclusion <3

#StoneTone #StoneSquad #LSF #CoachJess #virtualworkouts #digitalworkouts #LAworkouts #zoereport

@jess_lizama

Copyright © 2021 jesslizama.com · Website setup by ClickWP · Log in