Facebook is about to end the popularity contest as the platform officially begins removing like counts on some posts.
Like counts have not only disrupted the way we do marketing, they are also proven to negatively impact a users’s experience. In fact, the constant chase for more likes is known to distort reality as we all post only the best sides of our lives, in the hopes to get more and more likes each time.
That is why, just a few weeks after announcing it would be testing it, Facebook has officially started to hide like counts on posts. On September 27, the test will go live in Australia.
While an author will still be able to see the like count on a post, it will be hidden from everyone else. Other users will only see who of their friends has reacted to the post.
A Facebook spokesperson confirmed the test: “We are running a limited test where like, reaction, and video view counts are made private across Facebook. We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences.”
Facebook’s goal with this test is to evaluate the impact that hiding the like counts could potentially have on user engagement. Depending on the primary results, other countries could follow soon.
