Social media platform X is reportedly rolling out 'private likes' starting Wednesday. This means users' likes on the platform will be hidden by default and users will be able to like content without worrying about who might see it.
X owner Elon Musk confirmed the update and said it is "important to allow people to like posts without getting attacked for doing so!"
According to X senior software engineer Enrique Barragan:
Users will be able to see who liked their posts.
Users can see the like count for all posts or replies etc.
Users cannot see the people who liked someone else's post.
Users cannot see others 'liked' tab on their profile.
Currently, a user's likes are displayed on their profile, potentially making them vulnerable to criticism for engaging with certain content.
On May 22, Haofei Wang, director of engineering at X also confirmed the news by replying to a post. He said many people feel discouraged from liking content that might be "edgy" in fear of retaliation from trolls, or to protect their public image. He also says that the more posts users like, the 'for you' algorithm will become better for them.
In late 2023, Musk had reportedly directed X's engineers to explore removing tweet action buttons and instead prioritise post views (also called impressions). Musk believes that 'likes' aren't important and the latest move aligns with his idea of moving away from 'like count.'
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