After at the beginning of the month Facebook has announced they will start hiding likes in order to avoid frustration between users, it seems like plans are put to test.
Facebook Starts Hiding Likes for Tests
Before making it an option worldwide, Facebook starts with a test of hiding likes in Australia to see how it goes. A Facebook spokesperson said that they make private likes, reactions, and video counts to see whether this will improve its users’ experiences. And if the test is a success, they might apply it to other regions as well. Depending on the results, they might expand this new feature worldwide.
Why?
Ever since its launch, Zuckerberg said that he wants Facebook to be the place where people can have meaningful interactions. This is why they are running this test at the moment: for people to share on their newsfeed information that others really care about or might find it interesting, rather than caring about the likes they would receive for sharing a piece of information.
People began to be frustrated about the number of likes they would get for a post on their newsfeed, compared to the same post shared by another person. This is the main reason for which Facebook began this experiment on two of its social networks: the one mentioned above and Instagram as well.
How will it all look?
The like button will still be visible to everyone because you still need to take action. Reactions and comments will still be available to users. When a reaction on the post appears, you will still be able to see the photos of some people that have taken action on your post, but not the number.
What could happen next?
So the question above is legit especially for the brands: can anyone tell what will be the impact of this?
What’s your take on the new Facebook algorithm?
See also: Zuckerberg announces Facebook Horizon Virtual reality social media platform
