Facebook could hide ‘likes’ after Instagram ditched the feature to ‘remove pressure’
THE ‘like’ button on Facebook could be given the boot as part of a campaign to tackle mental health on social media.
This comes after Instagram rolled out a like-hiding test across specific countries to see if it helped users to feel less self-conscious online.
It appears social media giant looking into the possibility of doing the same on Facebook, after an app researcher uncovered code indicating such a change is in the works.
According to TechCrunch, Facebook said it is only thinking about launching a trial at the moment and did not specify when it might go ahead.
Researcher and reverse engineer maven, Jane Manchun Wong, spotted a prototype of its code hidden inside Facebook’s Android app.
Instagram like-hiding has been enforced across Canada, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand.
Users were still able to see a list of likes on their own posts but can’t view the number on others’ posts.
ENJOYMENT OVER VALIDATION
It was so the app was more about “sharing the things” users enjoy, rather than focusing on acceptance and admiration from followers.
In April, social media companies were warned that they may have to turn off the like function for British children under proposed guidelines to ensure their safety online.
The Information Commissioner’s Office said techniques that “nudge” users to follow the tech firms’ desired outcome should not be used to keep under 18s online longer, among 16 standards it believes online services should meet.
The decision was met with mixed reactions, some were happy to have a break from the popularity contest, while others – businesses and influences have been sceptical.
