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Have you seen the Twitter downvote button yet?
Some users of the micro-blogging site in the UK are now seeing a new virtual button on replies to tweets, inviting them to ‘downvote’ a comment.
The new option has been trialled since last July and twitter has been at pains to explain what it isn’t as much as what it is as it rolls out globally.
Because while it is designed by twitter to understand what type of replies you find relevant in a conversation, the social media giant stresses it is not a ‘dislike’ button and is only visible to you.
In a message to users of the social media platform, it said: “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.”
It says ‘downvotes’ are not public and any ‘upvote’ will be shown at likes – although many people see the regular ‘heart’ icon to indicate a ‘like’.
Twitter users have also seen a message that says downvoting should be used to let twitter know about a reply that “isn’t adding to the conversation'”.
Users are told the downvote option is to “help make twitter better” – adding: “Your feedback helps us to prioritize higher quality content for you – and everyone else on twitter.”
Twitter’s four key points about downvotes
- This is just a test for research right now
- This is not a dislike button
- Your downvotes are visible to you only
- Votes won’t change the order of replies
In a reply to one user who queried what was the point of a downvote if the person who made the comment couldn’t see it, Twitter said: “This isn’t quite a dislike button.
“In this research experiment, the thumbs down icon is a down vote that lets us know that you think the reply isn’t relevant to the conversation. We want to better understand the types of replies you do and don’t find relevant in a convo.”
Reaction from twitter users
The downvote button has, unsurprisingly, been effectively ‘downvoted’ by many users, who question the point of it.”
User BooksTalk To The Hat said: “Why did they add a downvote button? Did they feel Twitter was too positive?”
While Jason Kuznicki said: Wow, downvotes don’t work anything like how I’d imagined. I’d thought only a tweet’s author would see the downvotes it got—making it a discreet, limited form of disapproval. Instead a downvote tells an algorithm to hide your head in the sand for you.”
Raine @rainy_daydream asked: “Why does twitter have a downvote option now i hate it.”
Although some people are keen to have it, Greta@flirtdrm asked: “Twitter where is my downvote feature?”
As did TwistNHook @TwistNHook said: “Twitter let me downvote now?!??! Are others allowed to downvote, because I don’t want anybody to downvote my tweets!!! I’m looking at you.”
What do you think of the new feature? Let us know in the comments below.
