In today’s modern age, most of us are so accustomed to the Facebook “like” button. We’ve all, at one time or another, liked someone else’s posts. We probably do it on the daily, as likes are considered the ‘chief currency’ of Facebook. If you post a picture or a status, you hope your friends and family will show their love and support by liking it.
And admit it…you get a little sad when you don’t get a like. That’s okay. Social media has really become the barometer for how we socially interact these days. Talking to one another in person is so overrated these days. Of course, just kidding here, but it almost seems like it sometimes. Especially if you have kids and see their faces plastered to their phones 24/7.
This sort of interaction can actually be detrimental to people’s health. Many new studies have come out recently discussing the impact of social media on our brain. It’s not good. We’re more depressed and feel lonelier than ever. That means we end up spending more time online looking for that person to talk to.
Even Facebook is starting to rethink how they do things. They were once so enamoured with the like button that they changed the logo outside their building to the “thumbs up.” But now, they’ve decided to start testing whether removing the like button will help. It won’t completely remove it, as in preventing you from liking pictures. Instead, it will hide the number of likes and shares from view.
A New Facebook?
Facebook wants to find out if removing the number of likes and shares any piece of content gets will actually improve your experience. They’re going to test this concept out in Australia first and pay close attention to whether it makes using Facebook much easier to do, and even less stressful.
“We are running a limited test where like, reaction, and video view counts are made private across Facebook. We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. They’ve already begun the process with Instagram in Canada and expanding outward to Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
“We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get,” an Instagram spokesperson said earlier this year. There can be sort of a pressure to accumulate likes and shares, creating adverse behavior that makes social media less fun for the rest of us. They also want to see if removing this part of the platform will create more or less engagement.
“Likes are powerful because they are immediate feedback,” Renee Engeln, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, previously told CNN Business. “In a way, likes give you the same kind of hit like a gambler gets at a slot machine.” In short: it’s addicting and not in a good way. We seek that instant gratification and it’s not good for our wellbeing.
