Man, I'm convinced Likes actually play a major role in this game. Looking at these screenshots, it's in all facets of the game, from making deliveries to exploring the world and communicating with others players...
No joke, Kojima said that likes are just 'unconditional love' in this game and not a sort of currency but it feels like misdirection. If not a currency, maybe it plays a major role in the story somehow? Could the like mechanic be the thing that they're trying to keep underwraps? Maybe during or after Chapter 3 it becomes something else entirely, something that flips the whole game on its head. Who knows lol, just spitballing at this point, but it has to have some sort of purpose, right?