Instagram and Facebook Users Can Now Hide Like Counts.
Users can now opt in to stop seeing likes on all posts as well as hide their own public like counts from others.
These features have been tested on both platforms for years.
We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurize people’s experience on Instagram, Instagram spokesperson, via The Verge.
What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some,.., Instagram spokesperson, via The Verge.
...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, Instagram spokesperson, via The Verge.
On Instagram, users can also hide like counts on a per-post basis instead of activating it for their entire account.
This particular feature will be made available on Facebook in the next few weeks.
In 2017, a study by the Royal Society for Public Health UK ranked Instagram as "the most detrimental to young people's mental health and wellbeing.".
The ability to opt in to use these new features is part of the platform's attempt to improve the experience for users
