Observed Signal · Nov 18, 2022 · Technical Release · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Hide Like Count on Instagram Reels
Instagram has begun allowing users to hide like counts on Reels. Social-media expert Hammod Oh announced the update on Twitter, sharing a screenshot that shows a new setting in Advanced Settings labeled 'Hide like count on this reel'. The option states 'Only you will see the number of likes on this reel' and can be toggled off or on; users can later reverse it via the burger menu at the top of the reel, or through their account settings to hide likes from others. Instagram says the change gives people more control over the pressure to post content that garners many likes, though creators can still view engagement data to assess performance. The piece notes that Instagram already hid likes for posts in the past and cites Tim David Pankonin of rethink, who argues that likes on social media are almost irrelevant for campaigns.
Technical Release on a major platform (Meta's Instagram) affecting engagement metrics.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Instagram introduced a new setting 'Hide like count on this reel' to hide like counts on Reels.
- The option appears in Advanced Settings and states 'Only you will see the number of likes on this reel'.
- Users can later reverse the setting via the burger menu at the top of the reel or through account settings.
- Instagram aims to give users more control over engagement-metric visibility and posting pressure.
- Tim David Pankonin of rethink says likes on social media are nearly irrelevant for campaigns.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
ADWEEK Opens Submissions for 2026 Agency of the Year
ADWEEK has opened entries for its 2026 Agency of the Year awards, inviting agencies of all sizes to submit work across multiple creative and media categories. For the first time the program adds specific media and performance marketing categories (Global, U.S., Independent Media, and Performance Marketing Agency of the Year). Entries will be judged by ADWEEK’s editorial team on business results, creative/media strategy, talent development, leadership, innovation and impact. Early-bird, standard and extended submission deadlines (with tiered fees) run from July 17 through September 11, 2026. The shortlist will be published in October and winners will be announced in a December 8, 2026 feature; one winner will also design ADWEEK’s December magazine cover. Submission portal and contact details are provided on ADWEEK’s official site.
AI Increases Output — Rethink Team Size to Avoid Loss
This executive briefing argues that generative AI has raised individual output roughly tenfold (from about $300K to $2M per person per year) while leaving coordination costs unchanged, creating a new organizational bottleneck. Using the combinatoric formula n(n-1)/2, the author explains how coordination overhead grows with team size and why the marginal cost of adding a sixth team member can outweigh added capacity. The briefing introduces practical frameworks—'scout vs. strike team' classification, the 'Steinberger Threshold' for who can direct AI agents, and an 'ambition failure' critique of simply doing the same work with fewer people—and includes five diagnostic questions plus a five-prompt kit for leaders to assess whether their orgs are optimized for the AI era.
Broadcasters Rethink Monetization for Streaming Era
State of Streaming interviewed Jamie Branson, Founder and CEO of View TV, about the mismatch between legacy broadcast monetization and streaming-era economics. The piece argues that simply simulcasting linear channels into FAST/AVOD formats fails to reflect modern viewing habits and creates a structural revenue gap when publishers rely solely on programmatic advertising. Branson warns programmatic often fills a small share of inventory (he estimates ~10–20%) and at much lower rates than broadcast, making many high-cost productions uneconomic on a programmatic-only model. View TV advocates a layered monetization approach that combines programmatic with addressable and traditional ad-sales methods (and better yield management), and argues broadcasters should reclaim control of monetization and not bear the full cost of ad-delivery technologies like SSAI.
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