Yes, it is official! You can now hide like count on Instagram and Facebook. Starting today, both platforms will provide their users an option to hide like counts from their posts. The latest development comes years after testing with selected users worldwide.
The project, which puts the choice about like count in the hands of Facebook’s users base, has been in development since 2019. But the company gave precedence to something else due to the coronavirus pandemic and the response work required on its part.
A few days back, the social media giant stated that the whole concept of the new like count option is to give users more options over their experience on the two platforms – Instagram and Facebook. Originally, the idea to hide like counts on Instagram and the other SM channel will focus on depressurizing the online encounter for users.
A lot of users face stress and embarrassment around their posts if they don’t receive a lot of likes on Instagram and Facebook. This problem is faced particularly by the Gen Z group that profoundly admires what others think of them. They think of it so much that if they didn’t get a good amount of likes within an hour or two, they would take down posts.
According to the social media giant, users can now hide like count either on a single post or collectively for all on Instagram and Facebook. This basically means that others would still be able to like your photos, status, and videos, but you won’t be able to view the total number of thumbs-ups or hearts.
“We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people’s experience on Instagram,” Facebook said in a blog post. “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” it adds.
Here’s how to hide like count on your own posts or on the content you see in both Instagram and Facebook feeds.
How to hide like count on Instagram?
It is really easy to hide like-count on Instagram. You can do that either before posting your own content or after sharing it. In order to turn off like count on Instagram, follow these steps:
- Select on the three dots in the upper right corner of your Instagram post.
- A new screen will appear. Click on the “hide like and view count” option.
You can also hide like count on other people’s posts on Instagram. In order to do that, just follow these steps:
- Go to the new posts section under settings.
- After a new dialog box pops up, hit the toggle next to hide like and view counts. This will apply to all posts in your feed.
How to hide like count on Facebook?
The following are the steps to hide like count on Facebook:
- Login to your profile.
- Once you are logged in, open the Settings & Privacy option under the News Feed setting (or News Feed Preferences if you are using a desktop).
- A new screen will appear. There, you will see an option to hide a number of reactions. Hit the toggle to turn this setting off for both your own posts and for others from others in the news feed, groups, and pages.
Both Instagram and Facebook were testing a variety of methods to hide like counts for the past years. We believe this new change will definitely improve the experience of users, especially for those who are unconfident about their posts and videos.
What do you guys think? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
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