Twitter Tests Negative Button for Post Evaluation: Elon Musk’s Latest Feature Aims to Improve Ranking of Posts

Twitter, previously known as X, is currently testing the addition of a negative button for posts. This feature will allow users to rate posts based on their relevance or truthfulness. The downvote button is shaped like an inverted yellow arrow and is located next to the ‘Like’ heart icon on posts.

Prior to Elon Musk acquiring the platform, Twitter had already tested both negative and positive buttons in 2021 as a way to evaluate tweets similar to Reddit’s system. However, the downvote button was not well received by users at that time. Now, with Elon Musk at the helm, Twitter is considering implementing the downvote button again to help improve the ranking of posts on the social network.

Engineer and analyst Aaron Perris has discussed this new feature with Elon Musk himself. Perris suggested that downvotes could support the commented notes feature as an additional method of evaluating posts. However, he emphasized the importance of being judicious when using the negative buttons to prevent creating a hive mind like Reddit.

Twitter aims to avoid creating an environment similar to Reddit by using private ratings from users and other options such as comments. The addition of the downvote button is part of the platform’s effort to provide users with more tools to evaluate and interact with posts on the social network.