Facebook is thinking about hiding public likes on the core platform

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Facebook is reportedly considering testing hiding public likes on the core platform, after running such tests on Instagram, per TechCrunch.

Instagram began testing the feature in Canada in May before rolling out tests to six additional countries including Australia, Brazil, and Japan in July. If Facebook does move forward with the tests, it would likely do so very gradually — and pull back if it senses the change will harm engagement in any way.

Facebook is considering this change to improve user experience by lessening competitive pressure between users. By prioritizing likes, platforms encourage friends to compete with one another for attention. Ahead of its expanded tests in July, Instagram tweeted, “We want your friends to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get…We're looking forward to learning more about how this change might benefit everyone's experience on Instagram.”

The feature could especially improve user experience for younger generations, as multiple studies have shown that social media use can hurt teens' mental health. For instance, while like counts may not be entirely causal, 59% of US teens say they've been bullied or harassed online, per Pew Research. By lessening the pressure users feel to compete for attention, platforms can both make themselves healthier for frequent users and boost engagement among those who may have self-protectively phased out of sharing.

This push could be read as yet another instance of the social giant modeling itself after Snapchat, as the ephemeral messaging app has always operated without likes. Last May, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel spoke to the platform's purposeful absence of likes: “Snapchat is not just a bunch of features. It really has an underlying philosophy that runs directly counter to traditional social media. And I think that's why traditional social media feels threatened. Because fundamentally if people realize that competing with their friends for likes and attention is kind of unpleasant and really not that great, then I think they're gonna look for alternatives.”

Likely as a result, some social apps are more correlated with anxiety than others. By removing likes, Facebook could “reformat” its DNA to align itself more with Snapchat's “underlying philosophy,” which places interaction far ahead of competition. It could also align with Facebook's long term plan to steer users toward more impermanent sharing where likes are a less meaningful demarcation of value.

Ultimately, removing likes could boost usage in the long run by playing into the habits of younger users, who prefer authenticity and in-the-moment sharing. Younger social media users who have grown up with apps like Snapchat and Instagram are less interested in their social profiles being permanent chronicles of their lives. For example, some teens routinely purge their Instagram accounts of all photos, tending instead to view the platform's utility as a snapshot of who they are in any given moment or period in time, rather than as a “photo album.”

Deprioritizing likes could be another way of leaning into that preference among younger users, because it frees users up to decide a post's value for themselves. Over time, particularly as young people age, permanent sharing on platforms might not only become less meaningful, but it could even be seen as a deterrent.

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