Facebook Starts Hiding Number of ‘Likes,’ Reactions in Australia

Copying an experiment that started with Instagram in July, Facebook is testing hiding the number of “likes,” reactions, and views that a post gets.

Starting with users in Australia, the social media giant is seeking to measure if the change encourages more meaningful interactions on its platform, reads a new report from TechCrunch. As with a similar Instagram trial which covered Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, users will be able to see their own like and view counts but they won’t be seen by others.

As per the report, users will still be able to see the “Like” button under the post but it won’t give out the details as to how many have pressed the like button on it. Also, users will be to see who all liked or reacted to their own posts.



“We are running a limited test where like, reaction, and video view counts are made private across Facebook,” a Facebook spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences.”

Facebook added that it would “gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences.”

Facebook seems to be attempting to make the platform a less competitive place, as many social media users compare their own Like counts to others. Facebook has also previously admitted that Likes are often viewed as a social currency, which leads people to buy followers and Likes in order to feel more prominent on the site.

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