Streamers Are In An Uproar Over YouTube's Controversial Change

A big part of YouTube's platform since its inception in 2005 is its rating system. What started as a star rating in the platform's infancy eventually turned into the system of likes and dislikes that viewers see today.  The like/dislike system is pretty simple in theory — press the "thumbs up" is you liked the video, press the "thumbs down" if you didn't. Often, these ratings are used to evaluate whether or not there has been a positive reception to the content and/or the views expressed. It can also help viewers decide whether they want to spend the time required to watch a video for themselves. All of that is about to change.

However, YouTube seems to think differently. Recently, YouTube announced that the platform would be hiding dislike counts from the public eye. While viewers can still click on a dislike button, the count will only be visible to the clip's uploader on the site's backend. According to Matt Koval — YouTube's Creative Liaison and the presenter for the new update — hiding a dislike counts will spare content creators from the "embarrassment" of having a video with a higher amount of dislikes than likes. 

Koval explained that trolls have begun making "coordinated dislike attacks" on certain streamers, and that the system ended up playing more like "a game with a visible scoreboard." During a brief test period, YouTube found that making dislike counts invisible to viewers reduced those attacks. Unfortunately, many content creators are less than thrilled by YouTube's latest move.

After the announcement, a number of content creators voiced their displeasure with the removal of the dislike button. Streamers like ConnorEatsPants argued that the change protects big brands and corporations from having their products being properly evaluated by the public. Meanwhile, AlternateHistoryHub predicted that all YouTube's decision would do is encourage commenters to spam the word "dislike" in the comments section of videos. 

Prominent Twitch streamer xQc, who is no stranger to controversy and throwing shade, shared his thoughts on the announcement and didn't hold back. According to a report from Dexerto, xQc argued that this change could allow companies to put out a "disgusting, trash" videos without any visible repercussions.  "If you stand for dogs*** values, and you're an a**hat, and you say bulls***, why should you be rewarded with public validation for it?" the streamer quipped.

YouTube's dislike counts are still publicly visible, but odds are decent that those will soon be gone.