Gordie’s Midday Gossip - Instagram Is Testing a “Dislike” Button

Illustrations Of Meta Products As Fact-Checking Program Ends SANTA ROSA, PHILIPPINES - JANUARY 08: In this photo illustration, the Facebook, Instagram, and Threads applications are seen on a phone on January 08, 2025 in Santa Rosa, Philippines. Meta has announced the discontinuation of its fact-checking program, transitioning to a community-driven model that relies on users to add context to potentially misleading posts, a move aimed at promoting free expression. This significant policy shift has raised concerns among experts about the potential increase in misinformation and hate speech on Meta's platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, as the company prepares for a new political landscape under the upcoming Trump presidency. (Photo illustration by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images) (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

By Gordie Daniels

February 19, 2025 at 10:00 am EST

Instagram is testing a DISLIKE button. But it could actually be a good thing. They claim it’s a PRIVATE “downvote” to signal that you don’t like something and it’s targeted at COMMENTS, not people’s posts. No one will see that you disliked it, and the downvotes won’t be counted and shown publicly, like on YouTube. Instead, downvoted comments will be pushed to the bottom, or hidden altogether. An exec says, “This is a test eventually, we may integrate this signal into comments ranking to [deemphasize] disliked comments our hope is that this might help make comments more friendly on Instagram. Again, it’s only a test right now. Instagram’s parent company Meta has tried similar things with Facebook several times and they’ve come and gone without sticking.