It seems needlessly obtuse to say that Instagram have never stated that a "like" represents someone liking your photo. That's the reason they called it a "like". If you want to make the argument that Instagram chose a name for something without wanting to attach any meaning to it then good luck to you, but it's not a conversation I'm interested in having.

> nor restricts particularly how they can be created.

Untrue, given that they've cracked down on bots posting automated activity on Instagram:

http://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-cracks-down-on-fake...