The “Like” button on Facebook has been an integral part of the social media platform. However, as per the freshest leaks, Facebook is probably mulling to hide the like counts on a post you share on its platform. Although Facebook hasn’t started the test yet however it confirmed that it is considering one. The feature, if implemented, will hide the like counts from everyone other than the original poster.
Facebook is working to hide like counts, too!https://t.co/WnUrM12aZg
Tip @Techmeme pic.twitter.com/TdT73wT6A0
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 2, 2019
Jane Manchun Wong, the app researcher, found the code in facebook’s android application and shared the same on Twitter. The fact that Facebook is thinking a big change hints that it believes that the pros of the same will outweigh the cons.
As you can see in the unreleased update, the like count/reactions are hidden from everyone other than the account owner. While other users will still have access to inspect who reacted what on the picture; but they won’t be able to see the exact number of reactions the post has garnered.
While the like feature has been a prominent factor behind Facebook’s success to this day, but in some way or the other, it is also responsible for developing an inferiority complex among users. People have complained that they feel bad if they don’t receive enough reactions on their post. Studies have also shown that social media use may influence mental health, cause depression, anxiety and much more.
Henceforth, removing the public like counts will motivate users to post content they once hide from sharing due to the fear of not receiving the desired response. Meanwhile, it might also lead to enhanced user interaction on Facebook.
