The end of an era: Likes on X are anonymous now
- by The Washington Post
- Jun 12, 2024
- 0 Comments
- 0 Likes Flag 0 Of 5
June 12, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. EDT
|Published Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed.
Amelia Elizalde, 30, a comedian who shares jokes on X, said anyone who claims they don’t care who likes their posts is lying, because “being a creep” is a foundational part of using the site.
Both Chau and Elizalde blamed Musk for the changes they don’t like. Chau compared the trajectory of X to “slowly removing parts from a car while you’re trying to drive it.” Elizalde called the app a “sinking ship.”
Why social media is moving away from likes
The Twitter (now X) like has long held a weird little place in our hearts. Getting a like from your crush or a celebrity was big news. Ending an awkward threaded conversation with an easy “like” was even better. Twitter got rid of its “favorite” thumbs-up icon in 2015 in favor of the like, symbolized with a heart. It’s an easy way to tell when something is going viral — part of the game of posting online.
Advertisement
X has trailed other platforms in hiding or deprioritizing the like. Instagram started letting users opt into hiding like counts on their posts in 2021, a change aimed at decreasing social pressure on the app, the company said. On TikTok, users get to decide whether other people can see which videos they’ve liked.
YouTube took a different tack, hiding the “dislike” count on videos in 2021 to, it said, protect smaller creators from harassment campaigns.
The pursuit of likes can take a genuine psychological toll, research has shown. David Yeager, who studies adolescent development at the University of Texas at Austin, co-wrote a paper showing that, especially for vulnerable young people, not getting what they perceive to be “enough” likes can fuel poor self esteem and depression.
“Online or offline, teens aren’t just trying to maximize the number of people they’re connected to; they’re trying to impress certain types of people,” Yeager said.
Anonymizing likes could take some pressure off, he guessed. Or it could keep people wondering and make them more anxious.
Worried more changes to likes might damage your stature on X? You can always try posting spicier content or leaning far-right.
Help Desk: Making tech work for you
Help Desk is a destination built for readers looking to better understand and take control of the technology used in everyday life.
Take control: Sign up for The Tech Friend newsletter to get straight talk and advice on how to make your tech a force for good.
Tech tips to make your life easier: 10 tips and tricks to customize iOS 16 | 5 tips to make your gadget batteries last longer | How to get back control of a hacked social media account | How to avoid falling for and spreading misinformation online
Please first to comment
Related Post
Stay Connected
Tweets by elonmuskTo get the latest tweets please make sure you are logged in on X on this browser.
Sponsored
Popular Post
Tesla: Buy This Dip, Energy Growth And Margin Recovery Are Vastly Underappreciated
28 ViewsJul 29 ,2024