Facebook & Instagram allow users to hide 'Likes'; Here's how to hide 'Likes' on Facebook

In the latest development, social media giants Facebook and Instagram announced on Wednesday that they will now allow their users to hide the public 'like' counts. The move comes as a part of the company's efforts to give control over their experience, a statement from the company said. Earlier, Instagram had experimented by hiding the total number of likes on a user's post as a part of a pilot project. The company has also introduced new tools that allow people to filter offensive content from their DMs and give them ways to control what they see and share on Facebook's News Feed.

"We tested hiding like counts to see if it might depressurise people's experience on Instagram. What we heard from people and experts was that not seeing like counts was beneficial for some, 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," it said.

How to hide 'Likes' on Facebook and Instagram?

Users can hide 'like' counts on others' posts by visiting the new posts section in settings. This control applies to all the posts in a user's feed. The company said it has been working closely with third-party experts to better understand how to empower people, build self-awareness and shape a more positive experience on Instagram. "We're also funding more external research about people's experiences on Instagram, and how we can improve our policies and products to support our community. We're currently requesting research proposals from global academics and non-profits," the statement said.

"You can also choose to hide like counts before sharing a post. You can turn this setting on or off, even after it goes live. People want more flexibility, so we thought it would be important to give people the option. In the next few weeks you will see both of these controls come to Facebook," the company's statement added.

Following Facebook's announcement, users have begun raising queries on 'how to hide likes on Facebook?'. 

The company said it has recently collaborated with the Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in India to initiate the fifth edition of the 'Counter Speech Fellowship', a programme that engages creative teens to use the power of visual storytelling to start meaningful conversations on issues that are important to young citizens around the world. This includes the themes of bullying, diversity, mental wellbeing and gender equality.

How to hide likes on Instagram?

Earlier, Instagram had collected user feedback on the disabling Instagram likes feature and had expressed their surprise at how positively it was received. The company had since then expressed its interest in elevating this experience and bringing more changes to the feature. As for how to hide likes on Instagram, the user will simply have to visit the in-app Settings tab where they'll be able to see the new option. All they have to do is accept it to enable the change.

(With PTI inputs)