I Didn’t Think I’d Like YouTube Without Dislikes—But I Was Wrong – MakeUseOf

Maybe it’s just me, but it recently occurred to me that, unlike a few years ago, I’m now free to enjoy YouTube content without wondering if I’m supposed to. It’s a small change, but it’s shifted how I interact with the platform in ways I didn’t anticipate. The Subtle Psychology of Dislikes When YouTube announced that it was getting rid of public dislike counts in late 2021, the internet reacted the way it always does by splitting into camps and arguing about it. Some framed it as a way to protect creators from harassment. Others were convinced it was just shielding brands and big corporations from public humiliation. And then there were the folks who liked having that number front and center, because, well, how else do you know if a video’s worth your time? Personally, I never saw the dislike count as just a statistic; rather, it felt more like a preface to the story I was about to watch. When I’d click on a video and see a towering stack of dislikes right beside the likes, my brain would instantly start filling in the blanks: This is probably bad, or Everyone hates this, so you will too. It
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