Facebook could become the latest app under Meta to display views directly on the main interface of posts. Some users have received notifications that their posts will show new view count data.

Facebook post views

As shown in the image above, app researcher Radu Oncescu discovered that Facebook is displaying view counts on the main interface of posts, but this number is currently only visible to the creator.

This change could motivate or discourage creators, depending on the specific numbers. But in any case, view counts reflect the actual performance of content more accurately than many other social media metrics.

In fact, Meta has been pushing to replace other data points with "views" as the core metric, hoping to guide creators to focus on the right content dimensions. Previously, Instagram strengthened view count data, Threads also added view count display, and now Facebook is testing a similar feature.

Traditionally, social media creators have used likes and follower counts to measure post performance. But Meta has been telling creators for years that the paradigm has shifted, and these are no longer the best metrics for measuring popularity or engagement.

The reason is that in an era where algorithms can identify user interests, the way people interact with social media content has evolved.

In the early days, Instagram and Facebook feeds were mainly built around accounts and pages that users actively followed. This ensured that updates from followed accounts appeared in the feed, but it also meant that content outside users' awareness lacked exposure and struggled to gain the reach and engagement it deserved.

Today, increasingly intelligent algorithms expand this model by recommending content from users across the platform. As a result, much of the content in the main feed comes from accounts users do not follow, recommended based on user behavior and engagement rather than direct follow signals.

In fact, more than 50% of posts in the Instagram feed are now pushed to users by Meta's AI recommendation system. This also means that the accounts users follow are no longer the biggest factor influencing their app experience, reducing the value of follower count as a metric.

At the same time, people are liking posts significantly less, due to concerns that liking behavior could be publicly visible to others, potentially exposing intentions they prefer not to reveal.

Therefore, view counts have become a more important focus. This is why Meta strengthened view count data on Instagram, added view count display on Threads, and is now testing views on Facebook posts.

Is this test valuable?

On one hand, Facebook usage seems to be declining, and low view counts could further discourage users from posting. But on the other hand, view counts also provide a more accurate perspective on performance, helping users view engagement feedback more objectively.

Meta has confirmed to SMT that it is testing the Facebook post view count feature. Currently, creators in professional mode can all use this display feature, while regular personal profiles are in limited testing.