Last
week Twitter surprised investors by announcing strong 3Q earnings. Revenue is up 29% versus last year. But there was some unwelcome news as
well. It was the second quarter in a row
that the company missed active user estimates, and monthly active users are
down 1% versus year ago. (Castillo, 2018)
So
it's not surprising that CEO Jack Dorsey is looking for a way to increase
active monthly users. What is a surprise
is that the way he is considering doing it is by removing the like button. The idea, which is meant to "improve
debate," comes at a time when the company has been heavily criticized for
abusive behavior by some posters and the spread of fake news. (Snider, 2018)
And
it's the polar opposite of the approach many news sites have taken of eliminating
comments altogether to limit trolling.
So
what do you think? Do you use the
"like" button when you engage with content on social media? Do you make comments? Would you comment more if there was no
"like" button? Would it affect
your participation in the site? What do
you think other people will do, and why?
Castillo,
M. (2018, October 25) Twitter stock
soars after strong earnings beat. cnbc.com.
Retrieved October 30, 2018, from
Snider,
M. (2018, October 29) Twitter looking to remove "Like' button as a away to
improve debate on social network. usatoday.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018, from
5 comments:
I think that this is very shocking and my immediate reaction is that it is a bad idea. Social media has become so universal and the 'like' button has become a new norm for people around the world. I personally use the like button much more than I comment as the like button provides a simple and easy way to show support in something without taking the time to craft a more in-depth response. I think that it is extremely hard to change behavior, especially social media behavior that has become engrained in our society. Because of this, I think it would lessen my participation in the site as well as lessening other users participation as well.
I don’t think removing LIKE button is a good idea to increase Twitter heavy users because clicking “like” is the simplest way to express the personal opinion or join a debate for a normal user. The normal users who often click LIKE button would be more likely to write comments to join to join debates and then become active users.
However, I agree with the idea that improving debate can increase the number of active users. I believe the LIKE button can actually encourage light users to join the debate and then become active users. Thus, CEO Jack Dorsey could consider adding one more button rather than removing LIKE button to improve the debate. For example, adding the “Dislike” Button or “Disagree” Button could be a good idea. Although the Disagree button may discourage users to write comments, this new button can improve the debate by a simple function. If anyone clicks the Disagree button, he will be asked to write at least the one-sentence comment. Even one-sentence contradictory comment can actually improve the debate and then increase the number of active users.
Guo Yu
I think removing the "like" button in Twitter is a bad idea. Many young users, however sad it might be, strive for encouragement and confirmation from their followers. They get this confirmation, mainly, from likes. I think broadly in the social media world, that is how we engage with content. We either like it, and hit the "like" button to show this, or we don't like it and stay away from the "like" button. As far as comments, removing the "like" button might encourage more users to comment, however, an easy way to show where you stand on something is to like someone else comment so I think there will just be a lot of repetition and soon users will get fed up by this and start moving away from the Twitter platform. Although Twitter is more intended to be a platform where you voice your opinion (more so than say Instagram) a lot of users don't have the energy or time to comment, which is why the "like" button is a great tool.
I think removing the like button on social media (as a whole) will be uncomfortable for me because when I go on social media I am just scanning rather than reading each comment and taking the time out to respond. However, for Twitter I use it differently than I use my Instagram or Snapchat. I know when I go on Twitter that it’s a platform where people go and express themselves so I tend to comment more. Content is important on Twitter, and typically each picture is accompanied by some sort of witty comment that sparks a fiery discourse. I think on Twitter I am more valued as a user by what I say/comment rather than by just liking something. I do not think on Twitter if would affect my participation if they took away the like button. If anything, I think it would increase the amount of monthly active users because when something goes “viral” by the amount of (comments) other people have to go to Twitter and actually read why the post went viral. Right now, it is easy to know and get ahold of a post that goes viral because of the obvious amount of (likes) it will generate. I think for Twitter that it will not matter to its loyal users and new ones. It could be a very cool experiment.
In my opinion, "Like " button is necessary, because some people are aiming likes. In another word, some people post for likes. If Twitter remove this button, the users will drop for sure. "Like" button is a good way for relationships. You will see if one is paying attention to you or not by simply seeing the likes. I seldom make comments. I would not comment if there is no like button. I will definitely not engage in more if they cancel the like button. I think most people are the same thoughts like me. Because by canclling the like button, people are losing the sense of communication.
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