Disliking dislikes
For undisclosed reasons—read: pressure from Disney/LucasFilm—YouTube is experimenting with hiding dislike counts.
Viewer feedback has always been, and will continue to be, an important part of YouTube. But we've heard from creators that the public dislike counts can impact their wellbeing, and may motivate a targeted campaign of dislikes on a creator’s video. So, we're testing designs that don’t include the visible like or dislike count in an effort to balance improving the creator experience, while still making sure viewer feedback is accounted for and shared with the creator.
Jensen, TeamYouTube
The real reason is clear, however; several Disney/LucasFilm videos have been embarrassingly down-ratioed by a minority of YouTube users, in campaigns to voice their dissatisfaction with Disney in general, and with LucasFilm in particular. Corporate entities don't like that sort of thing, it doesn't look good. So what can they do, other than strong-arm the platform and bring it to heel? Okay, so they could try listening to customer feedback, but that would lessen their control, and where's the fun in that?
It's all rather pathetic, but not worth getting worked up about, at least from a casual viewer's perspective. After all, behind-the-scenes manipulation of data and the message
by corporate or government entities has long been the blight of freedom of speech and expression. It always will be. And we trust that those who are sufficiently motivated and knowledgeable will find a way around it. Good for them.
But several posts and videos on social media—too numerous and diverse to mention here—have claimed that YouTube will disable the dislike button. That is not the case; at least not yet. The dislike button will remain, and the number of dislikes will be available to the content creator. It's just that, unlike the upvote count, the downvote count will be hidden from public view.
One of the potential designs for the dislike button that doesn’t include a visible dislike count.
But, contrary to Jensen's own words, it does include a visible like count. Whoopsie!
Ah, yes, I know what you might be thinking. Jensen mentioned designs that don’t include the visible like [my emphasis] or dislike count
. Yet, only one potential design is shown, directly below that statement of his.
Just like any totalitarian regime, or the House of Mouse
for that matter, only outward positivity is sanctioned. Petty and trite, for sure, but it is what it is. So, that means no more laughs at Kathleen Kennedy's expense. And that's probably what it's really all about.