It all started in early 2021. YouTube started an experimental process in which it hid the amount of “dislikes” in the videos on its platform, as a way to combat negativity and personal “attacks”.
Now it reveals in a statement that the analyzes carried out in July lead to the conclusion that the fact that the count of “dislikes” is hidden discourages this behavior. As a result, the decision was made to hide “dislikes” in all videos.
You will no longer see the “Dislike” number on YouTube.
Note that you can still “dislike” a video. This button will not disappear from the platform. However, contrary to what happens with the “likes”, the “dislikes” will no longer be public.
This data will be private only to the content creators who shared the video. This is because they will still be able to access the “Dislike” number of a video of yours through YouTube Studio.
“Create an inclusive and respectful environment where creators have the opportunity to succeed and feel safe to express themselves,” is the goal YouTube says in a statement.
In this way, YouTube aims to protect content creators, especially minors. Now it remains to be seen what the audience thinks about not having access to the amount of “I don’t like” content.
According to Google, there is no data that shows that someone is less willing to see certain content because the number of negative reactions is hidden. The measure has already taken effect and you will soon stop seeing the “Dislike” count on the platform.