Twitter’s hearts mean the end for favorites

All social media platforms have their own special thing to express approval or agreement with content. Facebook has the Like button; Google+ has the +1 button; Instagram has the Heart (or Like) button. Twitter has never had something quick like any of those services. This morning, Twitter waved goodbye to one of its longest tenured features in order to become more like Facebook, Google+, and Instagram. The Favorite button on Twitter, indicated for years with a star, has been retired in favor of a heart to represent likes.

You can say a lot with a heart. Introducing a new way to show how you feel on Twitter: https://t.co/WKBEmORXNW pic.twitter.com/G4ZGe0rDTP
— Twitter (@twitter) November 3, 2015

Twitter decided to move on from favorites because not everything you see can be considered your favorite. Liking something, however, is more free and can be done multiple times without seeming overdone or untrue. So, basically, Twitter wants to allow you to like hundreds of things rather than choosing them as your favorite.

To me, this seems like a way for Twitter to encourage more interaction with tweets. Users will see a tweet that has many likes and view it as a piece of content offering more value or buzz. A like is something short-term compared to the long-term structure of a favorite.

Here’s how Twitter explains the value of its new icon:

The heart, in contrast, is a universal symbol that resonates across languages, cultures, and time zones. The heart is more expressive, enabling you to convey a range of emotions and easily connect with people. And in our tests, we found that people loved it.

If these hearts look familiar, that’s because the Twitter-owned Periscope utilizes them. It only makes sense for Twitter to implement them throughout its own service and Vine as well.
The hearts, which feature a brief popping animation, are already visible on multiple platforms. Users of Twitter on Android, iOS, the web, and elsewhere can start liking tweets today. Every tweet that was previously favorited has been relabeled as being liked.