Have you heard about the latest update of Twitter, in which they killed off the “star” icon and replaced them with the “heart” icon?
Yes, you heard that right. Twitter is officially replacing “favourites” with “likes”.
The Twitter company mentioned that from now onwards, the star icon which used to be “favourites” will now be replaced with a red heart icon that is described to be “likes”.
The purpose of the change was to represent the company’s latest effort to develop smart user experiences as it looks to attract new users.
In a press statement, product manager of Twitter, Akarshan Kumar said:
WE WANT TO MAKE TWITTER EASIER AND MORE REWARDING TO USE, AND WE KNOW THAT AT TIMES THE STAR COULD BE CONFUSING, ESPECIALLY TO NEWCOMERS.
As far as one knows, Hearts have become so popular on Periscope. Since Twitter was looking for a more unified system, they thought why not bring them to Twitter.
Twitter users have noted a few particular issues with the policy change:
- Favourites set Twitter apart from Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms.
- Favourites were used to bookmark Tweets and create a catalog of information.
- Favouriting something on Twitter is not the same thing as liking it.
Nevertheless, Twitter’s aim was more about taking big steps in gaining back the billions of dollars in lost market value and less concern towards the functionality of its platform.
What do you think about the change? Do you prefer “The Star” or “The Heart”? Let us know in the comment box below.
Sources: The Verge, CNBC, droid-life.
