
Twitter Loves the 'Likes' More Than 'Favorites'
It looks like Twitter (TWTR) - Get Report is no longer playing hard to get.
The social media site, following in the footsteps of Facebook (FB) - Get Report , has decided that its users will now be "liking" tweets instead "favorite-ing" them, and they'll be using a heart button to show their approval instead of a star.
"We want to make Twitter easier and more rewarding to use, and we know that at times the star could be confusing, especially to newcomers," Akarshan Kumar, Twitter's product manager, said in a post on the company's website. "You might like a lot of things, but not everything can be your favorite."
Instagram, Facebook's dedicated photo-sharing app, also uses a heart icon for likes. LinkedIn (LNKD) , the social networking site for professionals and job seekers, uses a thumbs-up icon similar to Facebook's. Media aggregator Reddit calls them "upvotes" and signifies them with an upward-pointing arrow.
The move is yet another point of standardization among social media platforms, whose design elements and interactivity often develop in tandem. In early October, Twitter announced Moments, a new Snapchat-like function that prioritizes content and makes it easier for users to join live conversations. Two weeks later, Facebook introduced Search FYI, an update to their search bar that does much the same thing.
"You've embraced hearts in a big way on Periscope, and we're delighted to bring them to Twitter and Vine, making them the common language for our global community," Kumar said, referencing other Twitter-owned apps. Vine is a video-centered platform popular among comedians and performers. Periscope is a live-streaming app.
The update goes live today on iOS and Android, on the web and on the Twitter extension TweetDeck.








