Facebook likes are to get the shaft
After Instagram, Facebook also no longer wants to display the number of likes on posts. As a trial, only a few reaction emojis and the fact that one or more friends have liked the post will be visible.
According to Techcrunch, Facebook has confirmed that the number of likes will soon no longer be displayed on posts in the news stream on a trial basis.
Former researcher Jane Manchun Wong found a code in Facebook's Android app that hides the number of likes on an article. Other users will only see a few reaction emojis and a note that it has been liked by a friend and others.
We already saw this in a similar form on Instagram in July: Back then, the Zuckerberg empire blanked out the number of likes in seven selected countries. The test was apparently successful there. Users who were part of the test seemed to like the new concept.
It has emerged that Facebook users also feel under pressure because of the Like numbers and are worried about whether their articles are getting enough Likes. According to Facebook, many people no longer post things that they fear will not receive many likes. Hiding the number of likes could counteract this problem.
Facebook told Techcrunch that users should once again focus more on photos and videos in the feed. And not how many likes the individual posts receive.
Getting likes is one of the most important addictive factors in social media. We will only see whether the trend actually changes when these changes are also made to the normal user interface in all countries.
Facebook has not yet announced a start date for the test.
We are not yet as advanced as Facebook. That's why I recommend that you like the article and follow me as the author. <p
Testing devices and gadgets is my thing. Some experiments lead to interesting insights, others to demolished phones. I’m hooked on series and can’t imagine life without Netflix. In summer, you’ll find me soaking up the sun by the lake or at a music festival.