Observed Signal · Dec 12, 2022 · Policy Update · Source: CMSWire · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Social Media Platforms Rethink Likes to Protect Mental Health
This article examines how major social media platforms are redesigning engagement metrics like likes and dislikes to combat harassment and protect user mental health. YouTube removed public dislike counts, Instagram introduced hidden like counts, and Twitter experimented with downvotes on replies. The piece also covers Meta's expansion of parental controls and mentions that Ogilvy will no longer work with influencers who edit their body images or faces, while Lush and Bottega Veneta have left social media entirely. The article highlights rising online harassment statistics and discusses brand safety implications for marketers, urging them to monitor feature changes as a safety issue.
Major social platforms are adjusting engagement metrics to address mental health, which affects brand safety and influencer marketing strategies, but the changes are incremental rather than industry-shifting.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- YouTube removed public dislike counts from all videos and livestreams in August 2022.
- Instagram introduced hidden like counts on posts in 2021.
- Twitter began testing downvotes on replies in February 2022 and rolled out to web users in May 2022.
- Meta expanded parental controls from Instagram to Facebook to limit young users' visibility.
- Ogilvy announced it will not work with influencers who edit their body images or faces in ads.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Meta later expanded parental control features to Facebook after Instagram introduced them....”
“YouTube removed dislike counts, as part of the platform's effort to protect mental health....”
“Ogilvy announced it will not work with influencers who edit their body images or faces in ads....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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