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Opinion
The Clarion \ October 9, 2019
No Facebook 'likes'
to reduce anxiety?
By Amber Vance
staff Writer
Facebook is doing away with the ‘like’
option in Austraiia! If this test is successful
in Australia, Facebook may decide to do it in
other countries.
Users will no longer be able to see the
number of ‘likes’ and ‘reactions’ to their
posts. The only thing available for users to see
regarding posts will be the comments.
The goal of this stunt is to reduce anxiety
due to social media. According to SBS News,
the director of policy for Facebook Australia,
Mia Garlick, said research from mental health
specialists proves the exclusion of the ‘like’
option will reduce the level of anxiety social
media users experience.
Garlick also stated that Facebook users
should feel more encouraged to share their
posts without feeling as if they are in a
competition. “We’ve had really positive
feedback from a lot of the anti-bullying groups
and mental health organizations that we work
with,” Garlick said.
Many Facebook users pay attention to the
number of likes their posts receive and some
see it as a competition of sorts. The more ‘likes’
you receive, the higher your social status.
“It really is just taking that number out of
the equation, so that people can focus on the
quality of their interactions and the quality of
the content rather than on the number of likes
or reactions,” Garlick said.
The ‘like’ option should just be seen as a
way for users to communicate and appreciate
other users’ posts. Instead, likes are seen only
as a social status symbol for dividing social
media users as they compete in hopes to win the
approval of others. ‘Likes’ are just numbers and
users of social media give those numbers more
power than they are worth.
With that said, ‘likes’ are not the only thing
that can cause social media anxiety. Several
social situations can cause users to have anxiety
concerning other things besides the ‘like’ option
on posts. A few examples are disagreements
between users for differences in opinion or
profile pictures and posts may be ridiculed for
various reasons.
There will always be some form of
cyberbullying if you are using any form of
social media whether or not a ‘like’ option
exists. Just because no one will see the number
of likes a user may have does not mean users
will be protected from cyberbullying or reduce
anxiety from social media.
Withholding the ‘likes’ count on Facebook
will not change the fact that anxiety from social
media is still a heavy issue affecting many
social media users.
rk.-.
Photo credit Vox.com
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
TCDP Halloween festival
Volunteers needed to run booth
Volunteers are needed for the Transylvania
County Democratic Party booth, at the Heart of
Brevard Halloween Festival, on Oct. 26, 2019.
For information and to volunteer, please
send an email with your contact information
(email and telephone number) to harmony@
comporium.net.
Volunteers for the festival, as well as those
who may be interested in volunteering for the
Transylvania County Democratic Party in the
future, are welcome to join the TCDP for a
Volunteer Appreciation event.
The event will be held in the Rogow Room of
the Transylvania County Library on Saturday,
Nov. 9 from 9-11:30 a.m. Coffee and pastries
will be provided. Please RSVP by October 21
by emailing transcodems@gmail.com.
— Victoria Johnson