{"id":99646,"date":"2024-05-23T18:44:48","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T18:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/23\/x-should-bring-back-stars-not-hide-likes-techcrunch\/"},"modified":"2024-05-23T18:44:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T18:44:48","slug":"x-should-bring-back-stars-not-hide-likes-techcrunch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/23\/x-should-bring-back-stars-not-hide-likes-techcrunch\/","title":{"rendered":"X should bring back stars, not hide ‘likes’ | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Elon Musk\u2019s X is preparing to make \u201clikes\u201d private on the social network, in a change that could potentially confuse users over the difference between something they\u2019ve favorited and something they\u2019ve bookmarked. According to new posts by company<\/a> employees<\/a>, the decision to hide likes is meant to incentivize engagement, by allowing people to favorite content that seems \u201cedgy\u201d and to protect their public image.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear this is the best solution to the problems X is trying to fix, such as more signal for its algorithm so it can better personalize its content to your interests. <\/p>\n

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some clarifications on the private likes change:
\u2013 you will be able to see who liked your posts
\u2013 you can see the like count for all posts \/ replies \/ etc
\u2013 you cannot see the people who liked someone else’s post
\u2013 you cannot see others “Liked” tab on their profile<\/p>\n

\u2014 Enrique (@enriquebrgn) May 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The change comes across as somewhat unnecessary, given that X, the company formerly known as Twitter, already had a private way to save posts on the platform: bookmarks. While X\u2019s bookmarks are meant for collecting posts you may want to refer back to or threads you may want to read later, they also served as the more private alternative to the \u201clike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding to the confusion is the fact that users will be able to see who liked their posts<\/a> as well as the like count for all their posts and replies. In other words, the private \u201clike\u201d is only semi-private \u2014 it\u2019s known to the poster, who could theoretically expose someone\u2019s likes if they wanted to. If X is trying to incentivize \u201cedgy\u201d engagement, such as liking posts that feature adult content or extreme political positions, for example, people may still be hesitant to \u201clike\u201d that content, given that it\u2019s not an entirely private system.<\/p>\n

Instead, they may continue to use X\u2019s bookmarks or even external link-saving tools to save those liked posts they don\u2019t want to risk exposing.<\/p>\n

According to posts by X employees, users will no longer be able to see the likes associated with other people\u2019s posts nor will they be able to browse someone\u2019s likes through a tab on their profile. This could help to eliminate the snooping others do, but it also removes a useful discovery feature.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re just joining X, for instance, you might browse the likes of others you follow to get ideas about who else they may find interesting and engaging. Or, if exploring another person\u2019s profile to determine if you\u2019d want to follow them, you could use their likes to get a sense of what sort of content they\u2019re generally into.<\/p>\n

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I go to the likes tab of people I respect to find excellent content I might not have seen otherwise. Maybe the option to turn off likes is optimal?<\/p>\n

\u2014 The Redheaded libertarian (@TRHLofficial) May 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The real problem with likes is that the feature\u2019s creation shifted the meaning of what used to be a bookmarking function. Before it was rebranded<\/a> from a star to a heart icon, as was the fashion at the time<\/a>, the feature was more of a \u201cfavorite\u201d rather than a signal of support. Users could theoretically favorite anything because doing so did not suggest that they actually enjoyed or agreed with the content.<\/p>\n

Rather, it could be something they were simply documenting \u2014 a politician\u2019s statement you massively disagreed with but wanted to remember; a post that warranted further research; posts you were collecting to later build out a collection in Moments<\/a> (RIP<\/a>); a billionaire\u2019s most upsetting or ridiculous posts, and more. No one could reasonably accuse you of \u201cliking\u201d the content because you weren\u2019t clicking a heart icon, thus giving you plausible deniability.<\/p>\n

When Twitter shifted from stars to hearts, users were outraged.<\/a> They understood that hearts conveyed an entirely different meaning, which impacted how they would use the social network.<\/p>\n

Wrote TechCrunch at the time, \u201cthe \u2018Like\u2019 is limiting in what it allows a user to express,\u201d while the Favorite function could mean all sorts of things, like a \u201cthank you, a handshake, a tip of the hat, or even a Robert De Niro stare down.\u201d TechCrunch said then that the change from stars to hearts wouldn\u2019t solve Twitter\u2019s larger issues around growing its user base and creating more engagement, and it largely did not. The company had to find an exit<\/a> quarter after quarter of flat<\/a> growth.<\/p>\n

As a result of the backlash over the change, Twitter later launched Bookmarks<\/a> to bring back a way to save something privately, including those posts that you didn\u2019t necessarily agree with, as well as those that you intended to reference again.<\/p>\n

Now, as X is shifting the functionality around the \u201clike\u201d once again, many users are registering their disappointment. On X, people are suggesting a variety of alternatives to this proposed change, like making the likes private as an option, not a default, or long-pressing the heart icon to leave an anonymous \u201clike.\u201d Others warned that privatizing likes could lead to manipulation as creators employed armies of bots to boost their content and help them generate revenue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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lol now bots are going to be harder to track. good job. \ud83d\ude43<\/p>\n

\u2014 luna (@ImLunaHey) May 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

There\u2019s another solution, too, and it\u2019s one alluded to by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. While we don\u2019t agree with much Dorsey has to say these days \u2014 that Nostr, for instance, is the future of social<\/a> or that Bluesky is some sort of censorship platform<\/a> \u2014 on the likes vs. stars debate, he\u2019s on to something.<\/p>\n

Wrote Dorsey in a post on X<\/a>: \u201c\u2018like\u2019\/\u2764\ufe0f was originally a \u2b50\ufe0f. we should have never moved away from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

His post has over 700 likes and many replies agreeing with the sentiment.<\/p>\n

If what X is after is not adding more privacy around user engagement functions but rather more signals for its algorithm<\/a>, it doesn\u2019t need to hide likes. A simple shift away from the heart icon \u2014 perhaps to a star! \u2014 would be a much less dramatic change while accomplishing the same goal.<\/p>\n

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Yeah, we are making likes private.<\/p>\n

Public likes are incentivizing the wrong behavior. For example, many people feel discouraged from liking content that might be “edgy” in fear of retaliation from trolls, or to protect their public image.<\/p>\n

Soon you\u2019ll be able to like without\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/vPGllc4pB0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Haofei (@wanghaofei) May 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n