Facebook and Instagram to let users hide ‘Like’ counts

Facebook and Instagram on Wednesday announced plans to let users stop displaying “like” tallies racked up by posts, letting people opt out of seeking status through the approval of others.

The two platforms will let users shun ‘like’ counts completely or just keep such tallies to themselves, according to Instagram chief Adam Mosseri.

People will be able to decide if they want to see like counts or not, Mosseri said in a briefing.

Tools being added to the services will let users turn off “like” features on individual posts or all of them, according to Mosseri.

He expected small creators trying to win fans to be most averse to eliminating “likes,” since they are typically trying to boost their popularity by showing how many people endorse their posts.