Facebook May Remove ‘Like’ Counts From Posts

Could social media giant Facebook be developing a conscious? Let's not go that far quite yet, but they are testing out a new mode where user 'likes' are actually hidden. Why you ask? Envy and self-censorship.

Online experts say that Instagram is already testing this new mode out in seven different countries including Canda and Brazil. The post now shows a few mutual friends who have liked it and not a total number. The idea behind hiding likes is to prevent users from comparing themselves to others and feeling inadequate if their posts don't get as many likes. It could also stop people from deleting some posts if they feel they don't have enough likes.

Facebook is testing out hiding likes in its Android app, but it hasn't gone live yet for users. They also aren't sharing details on how the Instagram testing is going, but indications are positive. After the initial test market of Canada, six other countries were eventually added. That's a positive step. Could not seeing likes actually help sharing and aide in mental health at the same time? Time will tell. But the fact that Facebook is testing it, means there is merit to the argument.

[via TechCrunch]