Technology

Twitter CEO hinted at removing ‘like’ button and users freaked out

Published

6 years ago

October 29, 2018

Paige Leskin

Jack Dorsey AP
Images

Twitter founder and CEO Jack Dorsey reportedly said he was
looking to remove the ability to “like” tweets,
the Telegraph reports.
Twitter
responded that it had no plans to remove the feature at the
moment, but it was rethinking the “like” button as part of a
bigger plan to ensure the platform is “incentivizing healthy
conversation.”
Nonetheless, users took to Twitter to voice their opinions,
and they were not happy about it.

Twitter founder and CEO Jack Dorsey reportedly said at an event
last week he wanted to “soon” remove the “like” button from the
platform, according to the
Telegraph.

Twitter
quickly denied the report and said that it had “no plans to
share right now.”

“As we’ve been saying for a while, we are rethinking
everything about the service to ensure we are incentivizing
healthy conversation, that includes the like button,” Twitter
Comms said in a tweet.

But Twitter’s denial didn’t stop users from reacting to the
Telegraph story with emotional freak-outs and jabs at the social
media platform.

Users: hey can you get rid of the Nazis please

Twitter: ok sure, we’ve changed the stars to hearts for likes

Users: no no, zero Nazis please

Twitter: yep we’re getting rid of Vine

Users: nah hey, what about the Nazis

Twitter: ok ok fine, no more likes https://t.co/HKE0BrCiVU

— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) October 29, 2018

Apparently, the story about Twitter removing the Like button is not accurate and based on only one quote. Wow, poor Jack; I can’t imagine what it’s like to be the victim of quickly spreading misinformation. Thoughts and prayers.

— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) October 29, 2018

Removing the ability to like anything on Twitter is a strikingly literal response to the experience of being on Twitter.

— R. Eric Thomas (@oureric) October 29, 2018

if they take away the like button on twitter, i’ll begin shouting things outside 7/11 and see who gathers to listen. your cheers will be my “likes”

— ryan (@ryanyeetz) October 29, 2018

Eliminating the “like” button will absolutely, certainly, 100% make the troll problem here way worse. The most common interaction here is the “like,” and it’s friendly and affirming. In new Twitter, the most common interaction will be a hostile reply. Who the hell wants that?

— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) October 29, 2018

At the WIRED25 summit
earlier this month, Dorsey vocalized his unhappiness
with the “big like button with a heart on it.” However, he did
not mention any plans to remove the feature, which Twitter’s VP
of
communications Brandon
Borrman reiterated in a tweet following the Telegraph
story.

Dorsey
has also floated the idea he plans to revamp Twitter as a way
to stop “echo chambers” from proliferating on the site. Twitter
is often criticized for a
perceived “laissez-faire response” to trolls, threatening
posts, the proliferation of bot accounts, and misinformation and
fake news.