Elon Musk’s X, previously known as Twitter, is actively working on incorporating a downvoting functionality aimed at enhancing the ranking order of comments. Although an official announcement is pending, recent discoveries suggest that the downvote option might lean more towards a “dislike” button rather than adopting a Reddit-style downvote symbol. The latest code within the X iOS application reveals a broken heart icon adjacent to the platform’s heart-shaped “like” button, alongside explicit mentions of a “downvote” feature.
During its era as Twitter, the platform experimented with downvoting back in 2021, prior to being acquired by Elon Musk. In the initial phase of testing, the company evaluated the usage of both upvote and downvote buttons across various posts. The current testing phase signifies that X is contemplating the introduction of downvotes solely for comment replies. This strategy aims to prioritize more favorable replies at the beginning of extensive threads while demoting less popular ones, potentially reducing the instances of content specifically crafted to provoke or generate dislike-driven interaction.
Earlier this month, reverse engineer Aaron Perris, @aaronp613 on X, stumbled upon code within X’s iOS app hinting at a downvote function in the works. He has since discovered additional graphics depicting a broken heart icon and more overt mentions of the downvote mechanism.
Perris’s shared screenshots from the X app reveal new inclusions related to the “downvoting” functionality alongside prompts asking for user confirmation to downvote. For example, messages include queries like “Do you want to downvote this post?” and commands such as “Downvote this post.”
The use of the term “posts” rather than solely “replies” raises questions about whether X is contemplating the application of the downvote feature across the entire platform or restricting it to replies.
Another user, @P4mui on X, shared footage of the dislike button in action, including instances where a user requested a dislike for their reply. Notably, this feature was only enabled for comments, and there was uncertainty about its future expansion.
Furthermore, the dislike button was reported to have been visible on an X employee’s profile in a video demo showcasing an innovative method to view replies. That publication was quickly retracted and published again without the dislike option.
With the frequency of these sightings, it appears increasingly probable that further public evaluations of the dislike feature are in progress.
This potential new feature is just one of many alterations X has implemented in the “likes” scheme under Musk’s leadership. More recently, the platform started concealing likes from the public eye. According to Musk, this move enables individuals to like more “edgy” content while preserving their public persona.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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