Twitter Follows Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr By Having A Heart ‘Like’ Button

Say goodbye to Twitter’s old “favorite” button. On Tuesday, November 3, the social media site changed the feature from the classic star to a new heart symbol.

It looks like Twitter is following in the footsteps of other social media sites that use a heart as the symbol for the “like” button. The former microblogging site replaced the star-shaped “favorite” button with a heart-shaped “like” button. This new feature will be available on both Twitter’s iOS and Android apps, along with the website. It will also roll out onto Hoot Suite and Tweet Deck. The company also revealed that the new “like” button will roll out to Vine for iOS and Twitter for Mac very soon.

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

There’s a reason behind their madness, which hasn’t been making some of their Twitter users happy. On their official blog, the Twitter team said that they wanted to make a “like” button that’s less confusing for their users.

“We want to make Twitter easier and more rewarding to use, and we know that at times the star can be confusing, especially to newcomers. You might like a lot of things, but not everything can be your favorite.”

Now, instead of using the start-shape “favorite” button to mark a tweet for later reading, users will have to click on the heart-shape “like” button, even if they don’t like what they read.

But it looks like Twitter is just ripping off Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and other social media sites that already have a heart-shaped “like” button. All three previously mentioned sites allow you to like photos on your timeline and in search results by simply clicking on the heart-shape icon beneath the post. Other users have also noted that Twitter stole the idea from these other social media sites.

Instagram and Tumblr also have this heart thing. It’s not something that weird I guess.

— Khadija Batool (@Khadija_Batool) November 3, 2015

Between the “Likes” and the heart, I can’t tell if Twitter wants to be more like Facebook or Pinterest. Bad move!!!

— Kimberly (@meowpsych) November 3, 2015

Twitter joined the crew of Instagram, Tumblr, We heart it and Pinterest. As now you just gonna deal with hearts.

— ???idmar (@AidmarMermaid) November 3, 2015

The only social media site that doesn’t have a heart-shape icon as its “like” button is Facebook. The popular site uses a thumbs up sign, which allows its users to “like” photos, posts, and comments. Earlier this month, the social media site that it would roll out the “unlike” button, which has sparked outrage and confusion among users. Facebook also unveiled its new “emoji reactions,” which also includes a heart symbol, which will make it easier for members to better express themselves when posting their passive aggressive messages.

Meanwhile, other users are confused by the heart-shape “like” button. If you “like” someone’s tweet, does it mean you’re in love with them? That could cause some awkward moments to happen.

Not everyone is on board with Twitter’s sudden decision to have a heart-shaped “like” button. The editors at USA Today explained why.

“The Twitter ‘favorite’ star is an icon. A beacon in the night. A way to say “thank you” with a single click. A ‘good night and goodbye’ without characters. And above all, it was not a LIKE button; it was not a badge of LOVE, which is what a heart CLEARLY —universally — symbolizes, no matter what Twitter said when it made our beloved favorite star into a heart.”

Owen Williams of The Next Web calls Twitter’s new “like” icon “half-a**ed.” That’s because no one can no longer “hate fave” tweets in which a user would favorite something they did not really “like.” Some also liked use the star-shaped “favorite” icon when it came to flirty favoriting a tweet without making it obvious that they have crush on that user.

A “like” is completely different from a “fave,” which is seen as something that you adore or agree with. It’ll be interesting to see if Twitter follows the footsteps of its competitors by also including a “unlike” button, which could probably come in the form of a broken heart.

What are your thoughts on Twitter’s new “like” button? Do you miss the “fave” button already, or do you still have it on your Twitter app? Sound off below in the comments section.

[Photo by Bethany Clarke/Getty Images]