Nicki Minaj Is Boycotting Instagram For Removing Likes

Instagram made waves last week when CEO Adam Mosseri announced that the social media platform would be hiding likes on posts from public view. Instagram has tested the feature in some territories previously, but the change is expected to roll out in the US soon. This doesn’t mean likes are going away entirely: Users will still be able to see how many likes their posts have, but their followers will not.

Naturally, this new approach from the major social media platform has drawn both praise and criticism, and among those not pleased with the move is Nicki Minaj. In fact, she insists she’s going to stop using Instagram because of it. Over the weekend, she wrote on Twitter, “I’m not posting on IG after this week cuz they removing the likes. Hmmmm what should I get into now? Think of all the time I’ll have with my new life.”

The way Minaj sees it, this move is bad for artists (especially independent ones), because likes can give them exposure and power: “We are so easily pacified. Harriet would never. Y’all smoking d*ck if y’all think labels ain’t pissed about the level of power independent artists now have by way of IG. They all work TOGETHER. Unlike us… settling for crumbs.”

Read Minaj’s tweets about Instagram likes below.

I’m not posting on IG after this week cuz they removing the likes. Hmmmm what should I get into now? Think of all the time I’ll have with my new life

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) November 9, 2019