Facebook: Public display of the like number could be abolished

Facebook plays with the idea, the number of likes under contributions in the future no longer publicly announce. A corporate spokesman told AFP Tuesday that this reform is being considered, confirming the media coverage and observations of a tech blogger. The Facebook subsidiary Instagram is already experimenting with abolishing the public display of like numbers in some countries.

By clicking on the button users of the Facebook services announce that they "like" a comment, the photo or the video of another user. The number of likes is considered a status symbol among users. Many users are putting pressure on them to post content with potentially high popularity. Even the inventor of the thumb symbol, Leah Pearlman, is questioning the competition for confirmation.

What an online world without a public like counter could look like, the Instagram tests show. Among other things, in Italy, Japan and Brazil users of the app get there only with their own contributions accurate information on the likes. In third party contributions, however, users only see the comments - and if the post has liked their own friends.

Instagram's aim was for users to pay more attention to the content itself - not how many likes a publication might get or has already received on the networks.