YouTube: Should the number of dislikes on videos be hidden?

The number of dislikes videos get on YouTube will soon be hidden from view.

Following an experiment with removing the counter earlier in 2021, the video platform have decided to now make the change permanent.

YouTube says that the dislike button will still be available to use, but viewers will no longer be able to see how many people have disliked the video they are watching.

But why has the platform chosen to do this? Read on to find out all about it!

Why has YouTube removed the dislike counter?

Have you used the like or dislike buttons on Youtube?

YouTube believes that there have been cases of what they describe as "dislike attacks" on some videos.

This is a tactic where viewers band together and encourage others to increase the number of dislikes on a particular video or all the videos across a certain channel.

This may happen for a number of reasons - but it's often because the group do not like the video's message, or the creator who made it.

It is seen by many as a form of bullying and harassment on the platform.

Dislike attacks can damage a creator's channel, as new viewers may choose not to watch a video or subscribe to a channel with lots of dislikes.

How does YouTube believe that removing the counter will help?

DOUBLE THUMBS UP!

After experimenting with removing the counter earlier this year, YouTube said that they saw a reduction in dislike attacks.

They acknowledged that using the dislike counter sometimes gives viewers an idea of whether a video is worth watching, but discovered during the experiment that there wasn't a big difference in viewership on a video whether there was a lot of dislikes or not.

YouTube creators will still be able to see how many dislikes their content has got on their own page.

What has the response been to the change?

Do you look at the likes or dislikes for videos on YouTube?

Some YouTube users feel that removing the counter is limiting their freedom of expression, and that the dislike count can be a useful way of identifying videos that might not be trustworthy.

One creator commented on YouTube's announcement video saying: "You've removed the ability for people to be able to easily spot videos that are related to scams, false [or] misleading information... all to protect a handful of people who got upset that videos got dislike bombed even though it doesn't affect the video negatively in any way?"

Another person commented: "This is not to protect people, because dislike attacks can be easily identified by algorithms and AI. This is to protect the big brands from criticism."

But others have welcomed the news, feeling dislikes can be used against creators.

What do you think? Do you like to see how many dislikes a video has? Have your say in the vote below and tell us more using the comments section.

If you can't see this vote, click here.

What about other social media platforms?

YouTube is not the first platform to choose to remove or alter their dislike counters.

Facebook resisted calls for a dislike button for a long time - choosing instead to have 'reactions' with negative options such as a sad or angry reaction.

And TikTok does not display a dislike button at all - but users are able to say they are not interested in a video.