FACEBOOK is considering removing their 'like' button feature after trials from subsidiary company Instagram came back with fairly positive results.
The idea behind the initiative is remove the sense of competition between users and their posts.
Two months ago, Instagram, who are owned by Facebook, trialled the removal of their 'like' feature in specific areas and devices, and the results have reportedly promoted Facebook into considering doing the same, according the Irish Independent.
Reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong noticed the 'like' count was hidden from her own posts, writing; "I observed that Facebook has recently begun prototyping this hidden like/reaction count feature in their Android app by reverse-engineering the app and playing with the code underneath.
"Currently, with this unreleased feature, the like/reaction count is hidden from anyone other than the creator of the post, just like how it works on Instagram. The list of people who liked/reacted will still be accessible, but the amount will be hidden," she added.
"Interestingly, likes/reaction counts on comments are not yet hidden for now. But this could be due to the nature of this feature being in an early stage of development. As always, things will be polished eventually."
As mentioned before, Instagram trialled such a move, by hiding the number of likes on certain posts a couple of years ago.
At the time, a spokesperson for Instagram said: "We are testing this because we want followers to focus on the photos and videos shared, not how many likes they get.
“We don’t want Instagram to feel like a competition. We hope to learn whether this change can help people focus less on likes and more on telling their story."
Facebook first installed their 'like' button feature in 2009 and it has been a smash-hit with users ever since.
In 2016, they upgraded the feature further by introducing 'reactions', where you can express different emotions/feelings towards someone's post, photo or status, including; 'love', 'haha', 'wow', 'sad', or 'angry'.
