Social network X is testing the dislike feature again. As TechCrunch writes, it is now designed to evaluate comments, not posts. Graphically, liked answers are marked with a heart (the symbol has been used since 2015), and disliked answers are marked with a broken heart. Information about this was reportedly found in the code of the X app for iOS.
Twitter experimented with the downvote feature back in 2021. However, the social network then stated that this was “a simple study” and not about plans to introduce a “dislike” button. The following year, the company said it had “learned a lot about the types of responses that users find relevant” and therefore decided to expand testing of the feature. Since the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk and the subsequent renaming of the social network to X, nothing has been reported about this function and its potential appearance for all users of the social network. TechCrunch suggests that in its current form, the function is responsible specifically for disliking a comment, and not for reducing its rating like a “downvote” on the same Reddit forum.
Concerns and User Reactions
It is believed that the problem with the “dislike” button is that it can serve as a tool for haters and Internet trolls, who can use it for purposes similar to review bombing, when large groups of people leave negative user reviews about published works (films, games, books, etc.). Currently, the best way to find out whether a post was liked by X number of readers is to compare the number of likes with the number of replies to the posted post. If the number of replies is greater than the number of likes, then most often this indicates a negative assessment of the original message.
Several users who discovered the “dislike” feature in the new iteration spoke out against its implementation. “The dislike button is not a good idea. Especially for those channels that publish content that is constantly subject to attacks from haters and troll attacks,” one user expressed dissatisfaction. According to another user, the introduction of the dislike button will lead to “more frequent targeted and organized attacks on the platform.”
Future Implications and Developments
Neither X nor Musk have yet commented on the latest test of the dislike function, but it was previously reported that the social network may begin to hide all likes on posts and comments, notes NIX Solutions. According to Musk, “It’s important to allow people to like posts without being attacked by the audience for it.” He has also previously said that he would like to completely remove action buttons from tweets and put more emphasis on post views (or impressions). However, this has not yet happened. We’ll keep you updated on any new developments.
In addition to Reddit, the social network TikTok allows you to downvote comments. Facebook tested a similar feature in 2018. However, things did not progress beyond those tests.