![]() ![]() (The more ‘likes’ a comment receives, the higher in the list of comments it appears on a specific post.) Instagram users, she said in her video, have “been starting the craziest arguments, been starting to race bait, all because of comments – because they want to get to the top, they want to get the most reactions”. American rapper Cardi B, who has 54 million Instagram followers, decried the move to hide ‘likes’, saying that comments were actually the most problematic element of Instagram, especially the fact that the comments themselves can receive individual ‘likes’ and replies. Indeed, those comment-triggering captions can rebound. But it could also cause a new kind of Instagram rat race, where influencers feel an increased need to be vulnerable and bare their souls. ![]() This mirrors the broader social media trend of celebrities and influencers being more vulnerable and opening up online about struggles like mental health issues. “If that’s the model, so much of that hinges on getting people to interact and engage.” The very idea of an influencer is someone whose job is to make money ,” he says. “The stated idea of social media is to level the plane between us, the users, and celebrities. ![]() Paul Benzon, a professor of English at Skidmore College in upstate New York who specialises in internet culture and digital identity, says that captions help perpetuate the loop that locks us into social media. Experts say they serve as the bridge that makes us feel more connected to the person we’re following. Part of the power of captions is that sense of community they cultivate. Socialbakers, an international social media marketing firm, looked at six major media companies, like BuzzFeed and HuffPost, and found that posts with explanatory text overlay generated 41% more interactions on average over the course of 2017.įor marketers, “dialogue is what fosters community, placing significant value on thoughtful captions,” says Cartin. “Sharing candid personal stories, asking for specific feedback, presenting thoughtful or playful questions are a great way to start a conversation.”Īnalyses show that Instagram images with captions or text embedded in them get more interactions than those that don’t. However, captions are what drive engagement,” says Stephanie Cartin, co-CEO at Socialfly, a New York City agency that connects influencers with big corporations. “On Instagram, strong imagery is what stops users in their feed. The higher the engagement, the more likely brands are to do sponsorship or business deals with influencers. This is measured by how many people ‘like’ a post, comment on it or share it. For her, the caption is also about building a connection with her followers, letting them “learn more about who you are and what your thought process is like, rather than just see your physical self”.įor influencers, captions fuel what they live or die by: engagement. “It's like the cherry on top,” says Chicago-based influencer Mariko Dennis, who uses Instagram to promote her jewellery business. In his case, captions carry an informational weight that wouldn’t exist with the image alone, causing people to be more invested in his account (although Joshi says he still considers the image itself more important).Ĭaptions aren’t tacked-on afterthoughts they’re what add context and shape your voice, all of which drive up follower count. “I’ve often used captions with a beautiful image to drive home hard truths, like in the case of the recent Kashmir lockdown,” says Siddhartha Joshi, a Mumbai-based travel photographer. But what exactly is the power of the Instagram caption – and how could this play out? And even as some influencers and celebrities bemoan the fact that it could make their job harder, experts say it will shift the spotlight from ‘likes’ to captions – and the comments and community they create.įrom a few pithy words to soul-baring confessions, captions help determine which influencers thrive, and with the changes, the text posted alongside photos will have to start doing a heavier lift. The move follows similar trials in other countries, including Australia, Japan and Brazil. Only the author will be able to see how popular their post is, in a test aimed at decreasing competition and improving users’ mental health. That could become even more true as Instagram enters a new chapter in parts of the US the platform will start hiding how many ‘likes’ a post gets. And though images are the main attraction on the extremely visual social media platform, that little bit of text can go a long way. ![]() Or they can be blatant stunts: “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram,” said a picture of a brown egg. They can be straightforward: “ Happy Halloween everyone,” said Cristiano Ronaldo. They can be punny: “ And now we’re Instagram FRIENDS too,” said Jennifer Aniston. They can be funny or serious, short or sprawling, cryptic or self-deprecating. ![]()
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