Can Subtle Change on a Popular Mobile App Positively Affect User’s Emotions

This post is a bit short opinion piece…I like to consider and ponder how our daily digital experiences affect us and how small changes on our favorite platforms can outright change our thinking or emotions. Thanksgiving Holiday took a chunk out of my time, but I will dive into this further at some point.

I have been quite busy with the holiday season, some travel, and networking. So my time on social media has been considerably more sparse. In fact, so sparse that I almost haven’t noticed the changes made to my favorite platform. Recently, when visiting Instagram, I was looking at the likes area, and noticed a lack of something…the distinct number of likes. At first I thought it was my app misbehaving. But this state persisted. The whole feed and peoples’ accounts do not show the number of people who favorited the post.

At first I found that odd. Isn’t the point of social media posts to see how popular some images get, and to kind of compare and count the prized numbers to feel more accomplished or relevant? 

Then it dawned on me…the peace, the lack of anxiety that not enough people saw my not so recent post. I realized, this change and lack of numbers really takes out the excitement/disappointment out of counting and comparing. In some ways, this creates a more peaceful atmosphere.

I am a very natural person, connected to all things wild and often ponder the meaning of life. Although I spend large amount of time searching for wildlife, disconnected from screens, when I am grounded at home, I love my digital life, connecting with others and creating new content. And I too succumb to the addiction of social media high. I admit, I sometimes spent hours obsessing over my recent post, especially if I put hours into editing a particular image or video or if I really feel the need to share an especially important message.

But this small subtle change is a game changer for me. Sure, each account member can still see the total number of likes but only after a click through to that detail. In the meanwhile, I am glad the numbers are out of sight. 

Enjoy your upcoming holidays!

Kat