- The viewer can still use the feedback control to shape recommendations
- The public total is hidden while creator inspection and comments remain available
What actually changed
YouTube videos will hide public dislike counts, but the YouTube dislike button will still appear, for now.
This change is based on the analysis of an experiment conducted by YouTube earlier this year to reduce the number of “dislike attacks” where creators may feel discouraged. However, YouTube is keeping the dislike button to let users customize their recommendations.
In other words, users will be still able to click the YouTube dislike button in videos but the number of clicks it gets will not be shown to the public.
“As part of this experiment, viewers could still see and use the dislike button. But because the count was not visible to them, we found that they were less likely to target a video’s dislike button to drive up the count. In short, our experiment data showed a reduction in dislike attacking behavior.”
Why the button itself is staying
The YouTube dislike button removal is not in the company’s plan yet because it is considered to be a tool for viewers to customize video recommendations.
Channel owners, on the other hand, can still check the number of dislikes on each of their videos and more metrics, if they wish, in YouTube Studio.
YouTube is aware of the fact that removing dislike counts will not be well-received by all users:
“We heard during the experiment that some of you have used the public dislike count to help decide whether or not to watch a video. We know that you might not agree with this decision, but we believe that this is the right thing to do for the platform.” -Said the video platform team.
According to the company, the results of the experiment carried out indicate that dislike counts do not have a significant influence on users when it comes to watching a video. What is more, people can still write comments about the video and recommendations in the comment section unless the channel disables that option.
As far as we know, YouTube plans to keep on making similar changes in the future to “promote an inclusive and respectful environment where creators have the opportunity to succeed and feel safe to express themselves”.
Global Wizards, a digital marketing company that offers social media management services, believes this change will help channel owners and video creators to express their ideas in a safer environment.
What this means for a channel
For a creator the practical change is that a coordinated dislike campaign no longer produces a visible number, while the signal a creator needs stays available in YouTube Studio. Our note on YouTube SEO services covers the metrics that do decide whether a video is found.
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Frequently asked questions
Is YouTube removing the dislike button?
No. YouTube is hiding the public dislike count on videos, but the dislike button itself stays, because it is how a viewer customises their own recommendations. A viewer can still press it; what changes is that nobody else sees the total.
Why did YouTube hide the dislike count?
It followed an experiment aimed at reducing dislike attacks, where a coordinated push on the count leaves creators discouraged. YouTube reported that with the count invisible, viewers were less likely to target a video’s dislike button to drive the number up, and that the experiment data showed a reduction in that behaviour.
Can creators still see their dislikes?
Yes. Channel owners can still check the number of dislikes on each of their videos, along with the other metrics, in YouTube Studio. The change is to what the public sees, not to what the creator is told.
Did the dislike count affect whether people watched a video?
YouTube’s position, on the results of its own experiment, is that dislike counts do not significantly influence whether a viewer watches. The company acknowledged that some viewers had used the public count to decide, and said it believed the change was the right one for the platform anyway.
How can viewers still signal that a video is bad?
Through the comments. People can still write comments and recommendations under a video, unless the channel has disabled that option, so the public signal moves from a number to something a reader has to actually read.
What is YouTube trying to achieve with changes like this?
In its own words, an inclusive and respectful environment where creators have the opportunity to succeed and feel safe expressing themselves. The company has said it plans to keep making similar changes.
