For the past decade,"likes" have been the chief currency of Facebook. It's the way we've determined how many people think our babies are cute, believe our jokes are funny and recognize our new jobs are impressive.
On Thursday, the company said it will begin a test to hide the number of likes, reactions and video views from posts in Australia. The author of the post will still be able to see those metrics, but other users won't. "We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get," an Instagram spokesperson said earlier this year.
But both tests could give the platforms insight into whether users feel more comfortable posting without public-facing likes, or whether that will hinder engagement and interactions.