YouTube Is Hiding Dislikes to Protect Content Creators

YouTube made some changes to its platform to protect creators by hiding dislike counts on videos. The change aims to keep small creators safe from harassment and foster a more supportive environment between viewers and creators. This update does not mean that we will no longer see the dislike button because viewers will be able to use it to tune their recommendations.

Dislikes Have Become Private  

In March of this year, YouTube launched testing of hidden public dislike numbers with individual creators who can hide ratings of their videos. Previously, the ratio of likes and dislikes was a clear indicator for many users whether or not they would watch the video. However, this will no longer be possible, but this can significantly reduce the level of persecution for authors.

Although the dislikes are hidden from the public, the creators can still see their statistics and the number of dislikes left by other users through YouTube Studio. Moreover, the lack of publicity, according to YouTube, has shown positive results in testing. Viewers were less likely to use this button to attack the creator and simply leave the dislike without watching the video. 

Why Did YouTube Decide to Hide Dislikes?

This move on the part of YouTube can also help hide some awkwardness in the history of the video-sharing platform. Ironically, the most disliked video on the platform is a Rewind video from 2018. However, there is an opinion that the lack of dislikes under the video may mislead the users when viewing fraudulent or malicious content.

Despite opinions against it, YouTube’s argument that it will help protect small creators remains relevant. Public negative opinion has a very different effect than private statistics, which only the creator sees. Will this limit your self-expression, or do you support the new update? Leave your comments below and share the article if you liked it!