Facebook could soon start hiding the Like counter on News Feed posts to protect users’ from envy and dissuade them from self-censorship.
Instagram is already testing this in 7 countries including Canada and Brazil, showing a post’s audience just a few names of mutual friends who’ve Liked it instead of the total number.
The idea is to prevent users from destructively comparing themselves to others and possibly feeling inadequate if their posts don’t get as many Likes.
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It could also stop users from deleting posts they think aren’t getting enough Likes or not sharing in the first place.
Reverse engineering master Jane Manchun Wong spotted Facebook prototyping the hidden Like counts in its Android app. Facebook confirmed to TechCrunch that it is considering testing removal of Like counts.
However it is not live for users yet. Facebook declined to share results from the Instagram Like hiding tests or any schedule for starting testing.
