Facebook To Test Removing Like Count From Posts

Facebook might be doing away with its current like system. Starting in Australia, the company will be testing a new system that hides the count of likes and other types of engagement for posts. Users will still be able to like and react to posts but the count will now only be visible to the person who created the original post

A spokesperson for Facebook told Variety, “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.”

This new decision is similar to a move Instagram made earlier this year in Canada, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. “We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get,” an Instagram spokesperson told Techcrunch. “[…] We understand that this is important for many creators, and while this test is in exploratory stages, we are thinking through ways for them to communicate value to their brand partners.”

So far, Facebook has not decided whether it plans to test the new idea in other regions of the world according to Engadget.