Twitter is reportedly removing the 'like' button
Here’s some news you probably won’t like: Twitter is reportedly removing the ‘like’ button.
The announcement (per Telegraph) was made by founder Jack Dorsey, who announced the news during a Twitter event, sharing that he “was not a fan of the heart-shaped button,” and that the company had plans of removing it “soon.”
Read more: Is Twitter finally adding an edit button?
The ‘like’ button was created back in 2015, where it served as a replacement to a similar-function, the ‘favorite’ button. Both functions shared the same purpose, where users can still interact with a tweet but not have it shown as publically as retweeting or commenting.
As Mashable points out, this isn’t the first time Dorsey has talked about his dislike of the Twitter function. Speaking at the WIRED25 summit, he echoed a similar sentiment, saying:
“We have a big like button with a heart on it and we’re incentivizing people to want it to go up,” Dorsey said. “Is that the right thing? Versus contributing to the public conversation or a healthy conversation? How do we incentivize healthy conversation?”
Of course, people had some opinions about the latest Twitter news:
Users: please stop the hate
Twitter: Okay, we’ll take away the “like” button— Molly Jong☠️Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 29, 2018
Twitter is removing the like button which means no one will like me in real life and online. Great.
— jay (@originalcuntent) October 29, 2018
Removing the like button while doing almost nothing to prevent fake accounts or hate speech would be the most Twitter thing ever, and Twitter is really good at being Twitter that way.
— Matthew Phillion (@mattphillion) October 29, 2018
I don’t think the problem with Twitter is the Like button. I think the problem with Twitter is Twitter.
— Adam Vs. Evil Dead (@AdManComics) October 29, 2018
Can’t wait for everyone on Twitter to become the Facebook Grandma replying to everything with “I LIKE this”
— Alissa McAloon (@Gliitchy) October 29, 2018
how the hell do you end a twitter conversation without a like button
— Sarah Hagi (@geekylonglegs) October 29, 2018
I’m so mad about this, you can’t take likes away from us, it’s been so long, I don’t know how to maintain friendships/aggressively try to befriend people/sneakily show my disagreement/flirt without them, what will I do now
— Marie Le Conte (@youngvulgarian) October 29, 2018
What do you think of Twitter’s plans to remove the ‘like’ button? Let us know in the comments below!
