Social media giant, Facebook, has rolled out a new feature that allows users to hide their like counts on the app and on its sister app, Instagram.
The announcement was made by the company on Wednesday, stating that it had been “testing” the feature “for a while”.
This new feature comes years after the company came under criticism for fostering a toxic space for users, causing them to be negatively impacted by their experience on the platforms.
In the statement, the company noted this stating, “We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people’s experience on Instagram.”
It added that the feature was a response to concerns raised by experts and that this new feature would give users more control over their experiences on the platforms.
Facebook said, “What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some, and annoying to others, particularly because people use like counts to get a sense for what’s trending or popular, so we’re giving you the choice.”
“We’re looking for more ways to give people control over their experience.”
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Hiding Likes Counts on Instagram, Facebook
With the new tool, Facebook gives users the opportunity to filter how they navigate the social media platforms.
Users can hide like counts on posts that appear on their feeds and also on personal posts.
The company, in the statement, noted that it wanted to create a healthy social experience, shifting focus from the number of likes to “the photos and videos being shared”.
“You can hide like counts on others’ posts by visiting the new Posts section in Settings. This control applies to all the posts in your feed,” the statement said.
To achieve its goal of enabling a “positive experience” on Instagram, the tech giant stated that it had consulted with third-party collaborators “to better understand how to empower people, build self-awareness and shape a more positive experience on Instagram.”
It added, “As part of these efforts, we collaborated with The Jed Foundation and creators such as Bunny Michael and Schuyler Bailar on a new Instagram Guide, which offers advice on how to manage pressure online.”
