SYDNEY: Facebook is using Australia as the proving ground to test hiding “likes”, in a bid for the giant to curb negative effects from social media addiction. The test, only available to Australians, makes the number of reactions, views and likes visible only to a post’s author.
The “like” button will remain visible and comments will still be displayed, but the “like” number itself will be hidden.
The change will be applied to posts from users and pages, as well as ads, across the social media platform and will slowly be rolled out to all users Down Under.
“We are running a limited test where ‘like’, ‘reaction’ and ‘video view’ counts are made private across Facebook,” a spokesman said. “We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences.”
The company has an estimated 16 million users in Australia.
