According to CNET reports, YouTube is removing the public dislike count, which is the visible statistics of how many people click on the thumbs down of a video. Google’s video site is the world’s largest online video source, with more than 2 billion monthly users. It said the move was to prevent “dislike attacks” from harassing activities. YouTube said the change “will be gradually promoted from Wednesday.
The Dislike button itself is reserved, so viewers can still click dislike at the bottom of the video to adjust their recommendations and express dissatisfaction with the video in private. Creators can also track the number of Dislikes of their videos privately, as well as all their private metrics. But the number of public “dislikes” will soon disappear. After experimenting with the “dislike” button earlier this year, YouTube stated that it found that small creators and people just starting out are disliked targets of “dislike” attacks.
“We heard in the experiment that some of you use the public’s dislike number to help decide whether to watch a video. We know you may disagree with this decision, but we believe it is correct for the platform,” YouTube said in a blog post on Wednesday.
This is the latest move by a tech giant to adjust a feature developed many years ago that has evolved into a destructive force for some people. Researchers pointed out that the number of Likes and dislikes is not only a tool for harassment but also a factor that social media damages the mental health of some users. After Facebook and Instagram began testing in 2019, they introduced the option to hide the number of public Likes for all users earlier this year. In the same year, Twitter discussed the question of whether to vaguely like and repost.
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On Wednesday, YouTube stated that the dislike count was removed because the company wanted to increase the inclusiveness, respect and safety of its services, saying it was “one of many measures we have taken to continue to protect creators from harassment.”
“Our work has not yet been completed, and we will continue to invest here,” the company said.
YouTube itself also has the experience of posting the most unpopular video ever on YouTube. For example, the company’s 2018 annual trend review video YouTube Rewind has nearly 221 million views and 19 million dislikes. Even the children of YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki called it “disgusting.