YouTube Removes Dislike Counts to End Harassment Mobs
Since smaller channels and newer producers are disproportionately affected by dislike attacks, which are campaigns to increase the number of dislikes on videos, youtube decides to remove all public dislike counts.
YouTube is getting rid of public dislike counts, which show how many people have clicked "thumbs down" on a video. The move is intended to thwart "dislike attack" harassment campaigns, according to Google's video service, which has more than 2 billion monthly visitors and is the world's largest source of online video, according to tech news website Cnet.
Youtube announced that the change will start rolling out on Wednesday.
The dislike option will stay though, so viewers can use it to fine-tune their suggestions and privately voice their dissatisfaction with a video.
Along with all of their other private stats, creators may also measure the number of dislikes on their videos. However, the public dislike count will soon be removed.
It's the latest move by Google to alter a feature that was created inadvertently years ago but has since changed into a devastating force for others.
Researchers have pointed to the like and dislike mechanisms as instruments for harassment. This can be harmful to some users' mental health, according to Cnet.
YouTube stated on Wednesday that it removed dislike numbers to improve the service's inclusivity, respect, and safety.
YouTube holds the distinction of having posted the most hated video ever. Its 2018 YouTube Rewind video, which used to be an annual trend summary, has roughly 221 million views and 19 million dislikes. It was described as "cringey" by YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki's own children.