Can hiding likes make Facebook fairer and rein in fake news? The science says maybe
Facebook removing likes from its platform might short-circuit the trend of us liking the things that are already well-liked, explains Marian-Andrei Rizoiu in this crossposting from The Conversation. Because, at the moment, we’re trapped in a content machine that means ‘the rich get richer’.
You may have read about – or already seen, depending on where you are – the latest tweak to Facebook’s interface: the disappearance of the likes counter.
Like Instagram (which it owns), Facebook is experimenting with hiding the number of likes that posts receive for users in some areas (Australia for Facebook, and Canada for Instagram).
On Facebook, we like what other people have already liked before us.
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In the new design, the number of likes is no longer shown. But with a simple click you can see who liked the post and even count them.
