YouTube Will Remove Dislike Count To Curb Its Abuse

November 14, 2021 Off By Naveen Victor

In a recent blogpost, YouTube announced that it is removing the dislike count from its platform. The dislike button will still be available and the public will be free to use it. But the difference moving forward is that the number of dislikes that each video receives will only be visible to the respective creator.

YouTube believes that this step, though controversial, will help curb “dislike attacks” which are sometimes used to harass creators. This is especially true of lesser-known channels and creators who are disproportionately targeted compared to more famous YouTubers.

To prove its theory, the video streaming company conducted an experiment earlier in the year to see whether hiding the dislike count would make a difference on how it’s used. The results showed that users were less likely to engage in “dislike attacks” because of the absence of the dislike count.

The following is YouTube’s official statement:

“We want to create an inclusive and respectful environment where creators have the opportunity to succeed and feel safe to express themselves. This is just one of many steps we are taking to continue to protect creators from harassment. Our work is not done, and we’ll continue to invest here.”

YouTube will implement its new policy in stages but creators will still be able to see the exact number of dislikes they receive for each video through YouTube Studio, along with other existing metrics meant to gauge viewer interest.

Viewers can still dislike videos that they watch, and this will continue to tune YouTube’s algorithm to be more affective at recommending content that will be of interest to you. The streaming service know that it will receive a lot of flak for its decision, but it believes that the move will help create a healthier environment where creators won’t be unfairly targeted for their content.