Facebook’s ‘like’ button could soon be disappearing from a News Feed near you as part of a new redesign in a bid to protect its users.
Earlier this year the social media giant began the same trial on Instagram, ‘to remove pressure’ and focus on ‘sharing the things’ its users enjoy.
This week TechCrunch revealed a series of Tweets from reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, who spotted that the ‘like/reaction’ counter had been hidden in an update to the Android App.
Instead of seeing the exact number of likes and reactions, users will see a friend ‘and others’ have liked it. The original poster will still be able to see a list of people who have liked their post.
The company confirmed that it would remove ‘like’ counts as a test, but the move hasn’t gone live just yet.
It’s an interesting move by Facebook, as they look to relieve the pressures of sharing content and chasing likes.
In recent years apps such as Instagram and Snapchat have become the go to place for sharing daily content. Whereas Facebook celebrates milestone life moments such as a new job, a new home, even proposals and marriages. Moments like this are known to attract big like counts on the social platform. However these celebratory moments can also create a negative effect for those who post similar content yet receive less likes.
Removing the like count from posts may be a step in the right direction for Facebook. This helps to put less pressure on the content people choose to publish.
You can read the full Tech Crunch article here.
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