Elon Musk’s X to introduce new downvoting feature

Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, is working on the development of a downvoting feature to improve how replies are ranked on the platform. Although the company has not made an official announcement about these plans, recent search suggests the downvote feature may resemble a “dislike” button rather than a Reddit-style downvote icon. Code references in the X iOS app now display a button that appears as a broken heart icon next to X’s heart-shaped “like” button, as well as direct mentions of a “downvote” feature.

Twitter initially tested downvoting in 2021, prior to Elon Musk‘s taking over of the company. During the original experiment, Twitter tested both upvoting and downvoting buttons on all posts. However, the latest tests indicate that X is allowing downvotes only on replies. This approach will help to highlight the most valuable replies at the top of a long thread while pushing less popular replies further down. Such a system could prevent users from posting content designed to cause any anger or generate dislikes as a form of engagement.

Discovery of the Downvoting Feature

Earlier this month, reverse engineer Aaron Perris, known as @aaronp613 on X, discovered references in X’s iOS app indicating that a downvote feature was in development. Perris has now found additional image files in the app, suggesting that the button could be styled as a broken heart, along with more direct references to the feature itself.

In screenshots shared on X, Perris found that the app now includes several new references to a “downvoting” function, as well as text advising the user to take action and confirm their downvote. For example, one prompt reads, “Do you want to downvote this post?” while another simply instructs the user to “Downvote this post.”

Given the wording, which refers to “posts’ ‘ rather than just “replies,” it remains unclear if X is considering introducing a downvote feature across all posts on the platform or if it will be limited just to the replies.

Another user, @P4mui on X, also shared videos of the dislike button in action, including one where a user asked them to dislike their reply to a post. The user, who had enabled the dislike button using a feature flag, observed that the button was only available on replies for the time being, but they were not sure about if this would change in the future.

Additionally, the dislike button was reportedly seen on an X employee’s account, where a video demo showcased a new way to expand replies. However, the post was quickly deleted and reposted without the dislike button in view.

Given so many references, it seems likely that more public tests of a dislike button are in the process. This feature would change the way in how content is engaged with and moderated on the platform.

This isn’t the only modification X has made to its “likes” system under Musk’s ownership. Recently, X began hiding likes from public view, allowing users, as Musk stated, to like more “edgy” content without fearing damage to their public image.

As X continues to test these features, it is to be seen how they will impact user engagement and the overall experience on the platform.

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