Twitter is currently experimenting with an up and down vote feature, similar to the reactions on other social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn and Reddit.
Currently, the feature is only available to a small number of testers using the iOS Twitter app and is only visible on replies to tweets.
Twitter announced last Wednesday that testers who use the Twitter iOS app and are part of the testing group may see a new option situated next to the comment and retweet buttons on replies so that they can provide feedback on said replies:
Some of you on iOS may see different options to up or down vote on replies. We're testing this to understand the types of replies you find relevant in a convo, so we can work on ways to show more of them.
Your downvotes aren’t public, while your upvotes will be shown as likes. pic.twitter.com/hrBfrKQdcY
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) July 21, 2021
According to Twitter, the feature is currently being used for users to provide feedback on what replies they find the most relevant, and it’s a way to empower users to give their own opinion on the quality of replies to their tweets privately.
After the first update from Twitter, additional information was released, stating that the new feature is currently only being used for research and testing purposes, and the social media site went on to tell users that the downvote feature shouldn’t be used as a dislike button.
Some Twitter users have said that the downvotes feature could cause issues such as misuse, and that it may affect the quality of replies on the platform.
The feedback from Twitter users will be more important in the future if – or when – the feature is released to the public and the downvotes are used as a factor for showing the most relevant replies, as some replies may disappear or feature lower down due to people downvoting them.
The upvotes feature will be different to the downvotes feature, as it will be very similar to the ‘Like’ buttons that users are familiar with on other social media platforms. Another difference between the upvote and downvote features is that other users will be able to see what replies have been upvoted.
If you have any questions about social media management or how you can use social media to effectively advertise your business, our Engage Web team is here to help.
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