Changes coming in social media

Emily Merlin, Social Media Editor

Social media is constantly changing, moving, and talking. Each social media channel provides different outcomes, but they essentially have the same concept: to communicate with other people and to see what they doing.

One update from Instagram is a little out of the ordinary.

This month, Instagram released an expected update to be able to remove “likes” from your feed.

At least in America, we are so self-absorbed in gaining attention and assurance from other people that this move seems counter to Instagram’s business interests.

But the likes won’t completely disappear, they will simply be hidden from other people. You’ll still be able to see your own likes, just not the likes of the people you’re following.

Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri said he wants to create an atmosphere that is comfortable and not competitive.

Mosseri told Mary Meisenzahl of Buisness Insider that: “We will make decisions that hurt the business if they help people’s well-being and health.”

A move by Twitter seems to be following Instagram’s lead in trying to create a comfortable environment. According to a New York Times report, Twitter has decided to decline any type of political advertisement on its site.

There are nonprofit organizations that profit from posting ads on Twitter, like the Alzheimer’s Association. One recent advertisement had the purpose of convincing people to ask Congress for more financing for medical research. The group is worried that similar ads might be deemed “political” and eliminated.

But Twitter said it is banning messages strictly related to the election, candidates and other strictly political ads.

Other ads, such as climate change, abortion and school shootings, appear to fall in a gray area and may or may not be published. There will be more conversation about what kinds of ads will be published and what will not be allowed.