Facebook正在測試隱藏用戶貼文收到的點贊數，數個月前公司在Instagram上也采取了類似的舉措。

于澳大利亞開展的這項測試將同時隱藏點贊數量和視頻播放數。在實施之后，這個數字依然對用戶自身可見，但卻無法與其他用戶進行比較。Facebook并未披露是否會將該計劃拓展至其他國家。

對于很多用戶來說，點贊和播放數在過去幾年中正變得越來越重要。這一功能已經催生出了一代影響力人物，他們通過吸引大量的粉絲來賺取高額回報。然而，它也助長了暴力和仇恨內容的瘋狂傳播，令Facebook感到頭疼不已。同時，由于可以對比，人們稱它也會讓對比者“自慚形穢”。

Facebook最初是在4月舉行的年度F8開發者大會上首次宣布在Instagram上測試隱藏點贊數。當時，Facebook稱自己希望將重點放在自我表達方面而不是受歡迎程度。Instagram的測試最初在5月始于加拿大，然后拓展至愛爾蘭、意大利、日本、巴西、澳大利亞和新西蘭，這也意味著Facebook對初期結果十分滿意。

但兩名專家稱，Facebook實際上并未解決這個問題，相反，它撤銷了一個有助于打造社區感的重要工具。

社交媒體、心理學領域專家、南加州大學的傳播學臨床教授凱倫·諾斯說：“在Instagram和Facebook上隱藏點贊數是一把雙刃劍。雖然此舉是試圖解決個人問題，但卻消除了群體感。”

諾斯稱，在數字世界，用戶通過點贊數和播放量來尋找社交線索，從而了解當下的流行趨勢。她還認為，如果人們無法看到點贊數，像冰桶挑戰這樣異常受歡迎的活動，以及宣傳ALS（肌萎縮側索硬化癥）的社交媒體活動就很難有今天的影響力。

媒體心理學研究中心的主任帕姆拉·魯特雷吉稱，這項舉措與人們相互比較的天性相違背，而這類比較也可以增加人們的幸福感。

她說：“讓其他人的點贊數不可見并不能改變我們與他人對比的需求。我們將不得不以不同的方式來驗證誰或什么內容才算有影響力。”

Facebook說，公司近些年正在努力改善其服務，從而為人們帶來更多的幸福感和福祉。

Facebook福祉團隊的研究人員稱，他們發現，當用戶在社交媒體上與他人相比處于不利地位時，他們的幸福感就會降低。因此，他們在過去幾年中一直在解決這個問題，包括采用隱藏點贊數的方法，其目的是改善公司對個人自尊和幸福度的影響。（財富中文網）

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譯者：馮豐

審校：夏林

Facebook is testing hiding the number of likes users receive on their posts, following a similar move it made on Instagram months prior.

The test, which will hide both likes and video view counts, is being conducted in Australia. Affected users will still be able see their own numbers, but won’t be able to compare them to those of other users. The company has not disclosed whether it plans to expand the test to other countries.

Likes and views have become increasingly important to many users over the past several years. The capability has led to a generation of influencers, who make big money by attracting large followings. But it also has incentivized viral violent and hateful content—a problem Facebook has struggled to police—and has been cited as making people feel worse about themselves as a point of comparison.

Facebook first announced that it was testing hiding likes on Instagram at its annual F8 developer conference in April. During that time, it said that it wanted to place more emphasis on self-expression versus popularity. Instagram's test began in Canada in May and later expanded to Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand—suggesting that Facebook was pleased with the initial results.

But two experts say Facebook is not actually solving the problem—rather it’s taking away an important tool that helps create a sense of community.

“Hiding likes on Instagram or Facebook is a double-edged sword,” says Karen North, an expert in social media and psychology and clinical professor of communication at the University of Southern California. “They’re trying to cure the problems of individuals but taking away the coming together of groups.”

North says that in a digital world, users look for social cues that include likes and view counts to understand what’s popular. She also argues that viral campaigns like the ice bucket challenge, a social media campaign that raised awareness for ALS, would not have been the same without the ability to see likes.

Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center, says the move goes against people’s nature to compare themselves to others, an activity that can also positively impact people’s happiness.

“Removing the likes that other people have doesn’t change our need to compare ourselves,” she said. “We will have to start looking for the validation of who or what’s important in different kinds of ways.”

Facebook has said in recent years it’s been working to improve how its service impacts people’s happiness and well-being.

Researchers who make up Facebook’s well-being team say that they have found users are less happy when they negatively compare themselves to others on social media. So they’ve spent the last few years working on problems including this one, aiming to improve the company’s impacts on people’s self-esteem and general happiness.