Facebook is allowing users to hide the number of people who “like” their posts, a move it says can reduce the pressure users may feel that their online value is contingent on how many likes they can garner.
“Changing the way people view like counts is a big shift” for users on Facebook and Instagram and will enable people to have more choice over their online experience on the platforms, the social media giant said Wednesday when announcing the new option.
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Instagram has already been testing hiding “like counts” for months, and Wednesday’s announcement builds on that policy. The move also adds to a number of changes Facebook has recently made to give users more control over their experience.
“We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people’s experience on Instagram,” Facebook said in a press release. “What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense of what’s trending or popular, so we’re giving you the choice.”
Academics who study social media’s effect on mental health have argued removing the like counts could reduce the unhealthy comparisons and anxiety that some Facebook and Instagram users encounter because of the feature.
Facebook said the option to hide like counts on posts would enable users to focus on the content being shared instead of how many likes a post gets.
While the shift on like counts is more benign, other changes Facebook has made to content moderation policies in recent months could lead to more censorship of content.
For example, the platform recently introduced new tools to allow people to filter offensive content from their direct messages, or DMs, and to give people more ways to control what they see and share on Facebook’s News Feed.
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The California-based company also gives users the option of deciding who can comment on their public posts on Facebook. Last month, its independent Oversight Board said the platform would make it easier for users to ask to remove content they don’t like.
