Facebook Could Make Its Like Count Invisible

Facebook has told TechCrunch that a test for removing ‘likes’ from the main social media platform is currently under consideration.

It was forced to confirm after software investigator Jane Manchung Wong found a prototype for the potential new feature inside the Android app.

This move comes after subsidiary Instagram began testing invisible ‘likes’ in seven countries worldwide, including Japan, Australia and Italy. By only showing the like count to the content creator, Facebook is hoping users will stop comparing their lives to other people’s based on a numerical value.

The social media giant hasn’t yet disclosed the results of its test on Instagram, or when it estimates the update will be available in every market.

TechCrunch speculates that Zuckerberg won’t be afraid to pull the feature if it negatively affects the number of Facebook active users and attendant advertising revenue.

If the change does come to fruition, it will evidence Facebook’s commitment to the ‘Time Well Spent’ movement, which looks to combat mindless scrolling through social media. 

12 months ago Facebook launched a time management tool that clearly showed users how long they had spent on the mobile app over different periods of time. Instagram also notifies people if they’ve already seen a post, saying that they are “all caught up”.

Last week, Facebook secured a patent that gave more insight into how its incoming Dating feature could work in conjunction with groups and events. Singles would opt-in to see which other members or attendees were looking for a partner, creating a group or event sub-community specifically for daters.

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