Twitter Users Not Happy After Prototype Floats Hiding Likes and Retweets: ‘This Is Dumb’

Pardes SelehMar 13th, 2019, 4:17 pm
 

Twitter is reacting furiously with reports on Twitter possibly removing visibility of engagement metrics, among other major changes, on the social media platform. After numerous talks with social media influencers, attorneys, and other experts, the company introduced a new Twitter prototype called “twtter,” which prevents users from seeing how many “likes” or “retweets” a tweet receives.

Keith Coleman, Twitter’s head of consumer product, said the company also plans to react more quickly and thoroughly in taking down accounts that promote hate, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories. This includes modifying the Twitter’s policies and enforcing punishment of code violations.

“We’re also actually working on changing the product and changing the policies to improve the health of the conversations,” said Coleman.

Twitter’s users don’t seem too sure about that. Some protested the platform’s arbitrary banning of certain accounts based on subjective ideologies, and limiting open communication. Others complained the platform will no longer be as exciting or interesting as it is now.

https://twitter.com/jason_howerton/status/1105891255567953920

https://twitter.com/HashtagGriswold/status/1105894635291987969

https://twitter.com/andreagrimes/status/1105895910943440897

Television personality Andrew Levy even joked that the company is in “science denial” if it thinks Twitter’s problems can be fixed.

For the record, again, this is not an official, confirmed change to Twitter, but rather something that’s just being tested. A viral tweet sharing the NBC News report was taken down:

[image via screengrab]

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