After the recent hiding of the ‘like count’ on Instagram, Facebook followed suit on the 27th of September. The test kicked off in Australia exclusively, and like Instagram, users will now be unable to see the reaction, like, and view count on posts, including advertisement.
But what does this mean for Facebook feed?
What will my followers see?
People scrolling through their Facebook feed will no longer see how many likes a post has. Instead, users will see the liked and reacted icons followed by “Someone’s username and others”.
However, for the initial test, some users will still be able to see the likes on any post. This allows Facebook to compare those with the change in place and those without it.
What will I see?
Depending on the type of account you are using you will see variations off statistics and data. For those who use a general profile, you will have access to your Activity log, but you won’t be able to gauge the community engagement on your profile. However, for Facebook pages, you will be able to view your analytics, your engagement, likes, and see your reach with boosted posts and Facebook advertising.
Why the change?
Studies have found that social media popularity has such a detrimental effect on users, that the sites have become a competition for the most likes rather than for a communication platform.
Facebook released a statement saying that the idea is aimed at preventing users from destructively comparing themselves to others and possibly feeling inadequate if their posts don’t get as many likes.
You may think this controversy may cause a decrease in usage, however, the results from the Instagram trial shows that by removing likes, people are less likely to delete posts that they don’t think are getting enough likes and are sharing for the sake of sharing rather than likes.
What’s your take on Facebook removing likes?
