Instagram said that it was testing the like-free interface in countries including Ireland, Australia and Japan JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGESIt could bring withdrawal symptoms for millions of smartphone zombies who start their day by checking their Instagram for overnight “likes”. In trials people will not see the number of likes on their posts unless they click through deliberately, and won’t see like counts on other people’s posts at all. Critics of social media firms have said that likes were invented to give app users a dopamine rush and keep them coming back. In April, Prince Harry warned of the dangerous addictiveness of social media hours after his new Instagram account became the fastest on record to gain a million followers. Instagram said it was testing the like-free interface in…

Source: The Times July 18, 2019 23:04 UTC