A public count of likes — or dislikes — that social media
posts rack up is regularly cited by critics as harmful to well-being, and
Facebook as well as Instagram have allowed users to opt out.
Users on the Google-owned video sharing platform will still
be able to click on the "dislike" button below a clip, but they will
no longer see the negative review count.
"To ensure that YouTube promotes respectful interactions
between viewers and creators... we experimented with the dislike button to see
whether or not changes could help better protect our creators from harassment,
and reduce dislike attacks," YouTube said in a statement.
"Our experiment data showed a reduction in dislike
attacking behavior."
Content creators — the social media stars who draw crowds
online — will be able to see the number of thumbs-down icons their clips
elicit.
YouTube said smaller scale or new creators reported being
unfairly targeted in attacks, where people work to drive up the number of
dislikes on videos.
The changes at YouTube come as major social networks and
video platforms are frequently accused by lawmakers, regulators and watchdogs
of not doing enough to fight online harassment.
Facebook is battling one of its most serious reputational
crises ever, driven by leaked internal documents showing executive knew of the
potential harm of their platforms.
The revelations from the leaks by former Facebook employee
Frances Haugen have put fresh impetus behind talk of regulating Big Tech
companies.
Worry about Facebook's potential harm has spilled over to
other platforms with TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube trying to convince US
senators in a hearing last month that they were safe for their young users.
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