Internet users have tried many tactics in the past to get their voices heard, and the "negativity bomb" is one of the most powerful tools in their arsenal. YouTube is hoping to nip this tactic in the bud by hiding the dislike count from users.
Why YouTube Is Hiding the Dislike Count
The entertainment giant announced this change on its official Twitter account. YouTube says the change is inspired "in response to creator feedback around well-being and targeted dislike campaigns" and will slowly roll out to users on the website.
From the screenshot YouTube posted, it appears that the user can still see and click the dislike button. However, the website will now hide how many people disliked the video while still showing how many people liked it.
However, that's not to say that the dislike button will be entirely useless. While viewers won't see the dislike count, the video uploader can view every vote on their video from the YouTube Studio. As such, YouTube hopes that people will now click the dislike button as a form of feedback instead of using it as part of a targeted campaign.
Using Negativity as a Weapon
While the change is good news for YouTube creators, it likely won't be as easily accepted by users who want their voices to be heard.
Websites like YouTube often come with a rating system, which means that creators want the ratings to be as positive as possible. As such, users can grab a creator's attention by deliberately posting negative ratings to force those in charge to act.
Valve's digital video game store Steam is a good example of this. When a developer does something controversial, users flood the store page with negative reviews to tank the user score rating. Valve has been working on finding ways to fix this.
YouTube users have their own version of this tactic with the dislike button. Because YouTube displays both the dislike count and the ratio of likes to dislikes, users will tank the ratio with negativity if the uploader does something controversial or disagreeable.
As such, we'll have to see if YouTube users will accept this change. Will it be seen as a censorship of the people's voice, or will people feel relieved that the drama surrounding the like-dislike ratio is finally over?
Will YouTube Users Dislike the Dislike Changes?
YouTube will hide the dislike count to prevent dislike campaigns, but users may not be so receptive about losing their one tool to make their voices heard. We'll have to see how YouTube users will react to this change.
If you're quickly losing faith in YouTube, be sure to cut out the drama and check out the self-improvement and motivation channels. These will help you get your mind out of the negativity surrounding the internet and get you back in a better place.
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