What you need to know
- Twitter began testing reply downvotes in June 2021 on iOS.
- The test is now being expanded globally across platforms.
- It appears the "like" button isn't being changed as part of the test.
Twitter announced this week that it's expanding its test to bring downvotes to the platform after first testing the feature on iOS in mid-2021.
The feature acts as a "dislike" button of sorts and will allow users to downvote responses to tweets that they deem offensive or irrelevant to the conversation. However, the number of downvotes isn't public.
We've been testing how we can surface the most relevant replies within Tweets with the use of downvoting on replies. As we're expanding the experiment to a global audience, we want to share a little about what we have learned thus far!
👇 https://t.co/wM0CpwRgo6We've been testing how we can surface the most relevant replies within Tweets with the use of downvoting on replies. As we're expanding the experiment to a global audience, we want to share a little about what we have learned thus far!
👇 https://t.co/wM0CpwRgo6— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) February 3, 2022February 3, 2022
When Twitter first started testing the feature in June 2021, it explained that downvotes were a way to help keep people engaged in conversations by flagging content in responses they didn't want to see. It came shortly after the death of Fleets as Twitter sought to find ways to make the platform more inviting and get more people tweeting.
Twitter shared that those that tested the feature expressed "agree it improves the quality of conversations on Twitter," so it appears it's achieving precisely what the company hoped it would.
Twitter originally tested out a few iterations of the feature, mainly affecting how people would "like" a tweet. This included variations of the "like" button, including an arrow and a thumbs up button akin to the one on Facebook.
With the expanded test, it seems Twitter is sticking to its traditional heart button while adding a downward arrow into the mix for the downvotes. The test should be available to more people on iOS, the web, and on the best Android phones.
