Twitter Test its Downvote Feature to a Global Audience

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 04 February 2022, 11:02 am

Twitter has been working on allowing its users to downvote tweets. Although the feature is not public yet, the company has been expanding the features since 2020, and now, more users worldwide can access it and not just users in the United States.

Twitter's Downvote Feature

Downvoting was also added to the web version of Twitter. As for the mobile version, the feature will be accessible to both iOS and Android users. Twitter users will start seeing a downward-facing arrow on some tweets, according to The Verge.

The feature won't hide the tweet or let the user, or their followers, know that the tweet has been downvoted. This is more for Twitter to help refine its algorithm in helping you find curate tweets. However, the users are not receiving the new feature with open arms.

Also Read: Facebook Rolling Out Reddit-Style Downvote Button To More Users: Pros And Cons

Hide Tweet Option vs. Downvoting Option

Other platforms have a downvote button, like Reddit. It is a massive part of the platform's design, as it shows other users how well others have responded to the post.

However, Twitter has gone down another avenue here, where the downvotes are just for the company to help improve its service, which makes it over-engineered.

Other social media sites like YouTube has changed how it displays "dislikes," with the option remaining, but the number of dislikes is hidden, and that has also proved controversial so far. Jawed Karim, the co-founder of YouTube, talked about his frustrations in how the platform may decline after the change.

As for Twitter, users have been debating on whether the feature is needed or not. Twitter may have explained why the feature is added, but the cases of harassment on the platform are still there.

Other Features

Aside from the downvoting feature, Twitter also revealed the "close friend" feature last week. Users can limit their tweets to their "flock."

Twitter hinted about the feature back in July. Since then, mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi has kept track of the feature's progress.

Paluzzi's most recent findings showed that Twitter is working on a page that offers more information on Flock, which explains that you can add up to 150 members.

Only these users can see or reply to your tweets sent out to your Flock. If you decide that you don't want someone in your Flock, Twitter can remove people from your list at any time, and they won't get a notification, according to TechRadar.

If you are in someone's Flock and they send out a tweet, a label may appear beneath that tweet notifying you that you are part of a Flock.

This can help distinguish between close friends versus other users on Twitter. To send a tweet to your Flock, Twitter will display an audience option before you send it out, letting you choose between your other users and your Flock, according to NBC News.

Twitter has been adding several features over the years to help improve the experience of its users, especially since its rivals like TikTok and Instagram have been getting ahead when it comes to innovation.