Facebook Starts Testing Removal of ‘Likes’

Facebook will soon be testing a previously rumored feature that would hide “likes” on photos and posts across its platform.

Engadget reports that just shortly after removing the like count from photos on its photo-sharing app Instagram, Facebook is considering removing “likes” across its platform entirely. This was previously rumored in early September; it was speculated that Facebook believes the removal of like counts could encourage users to share more freely and more often. Such a change could also help to hide Facebook’s decline in popularity as users switch to other social media apps, as posts on Facebook that receive fewer likes could encourage users to leave the platform.

Now, Facebook has officially begun testing the removal of likes from public visibility, starting its test in Australia. So far, the firm has not decided whether or not it will expand these tests to any other regions.

Facebook users in Australia will still see emoji reactions to posts but won’t be able to see how many people interacted with the post. The information on counts will now only be available to the author of the post who can still the number of likes and reactions they get.  A Facebook spokesperson stated: “We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences.”

Facebook’s removal of likes from Instagram was initially limited to Canada but has since been expanded to include Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. Facebook is attempting to make its platform a more welcoming community focused on interaction rather than generating likes, but this could pose a large threat to the influencer community which has built most of its business model around the likes and attention certain users receive.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or email him at lnolan@breitbart.com