Twitter Upvote/Downvote Test: Reddit-Style Buttons Arrive

Twitter Experiments with Upvote and Downvote System for Replies

Twitter is initiating a trial period involving upvote and downvote buttons, mirroring functionality found on platforms like Reddit. This is being implemented to enhance the visibility of the most pertinent and engaging responses within extended conversation threads.

A Research-Focused Approach

The company announced this afternoon the commencement of a “small research experiment.” This experiment will introduce upvote and downvote options to replies, potentially even substituting the existing “Like” button. The visual representation of these buttons may vary, utilizing either up/down arrows or thumbs up/thumbs down icons.

For a segment of test users, the familiar “Like” button (represented by a red heart) will remain, accompanied by a newly added downvote button. In this group, an upvote will functionally operate as a “Like,” as clarified by Twitter.

Limited Initial Rollout

Twitter has informed TechCrunch that the availability of these options is currently restricted to a limited number of testers utilizing the Twitter iOS application. Importantly, user votes will remain private and will not be publicly displayed.

Currently, the collected vote data is not being utilized to rank replies. However, this could potentially change should the system evolve into a publicly available feature.

Understanding User Preferences

The primary objective of this test is to gain insights into the types of replies users deem most valuable during conversations. Twitter has previously conducted research on this topic.

According to Twitter user researcher Cody Elam, prior studies indicated that users generally favor replies that are informative, supportive, positive, and humorous. However, these beneficial replies don't always gain prominence quickly enough – a challenge Twitter hopes to address with the upvote and downvote feature.

Private Feedback Mechanism

Elam explains that the feature will enable users to express their opinions on reply quality privately, avoiding public criticism. Over time, this data can contribute to improvements in Twitter’s conversation ranking algorithms.

Potential Benefits of Reply Ranking

If Twitter were to implement reply ranking based on this data, it could significantly improve the readability and enjoyment of longer Twitter threads, particularly those following popular tweets.

The system could also effectively highlight replies that offer valuable information, interesting perspectives, or humor, while simultaneously reducing the visibility of disruptive or trolling comments.

Currently, Twitter allows users to manually hide replies that detract from a conversation. In the future, a similar approach could be applied to replies receiving a substantial number of downvotes, mirroring Reddit’s functionality. However, these features are not currently under testing.

Exploring Alternative Engagement Options

This is not the first instance of Twitter exploring engagement options beyond “Like” and “Retweet.” Earlier this year, the company surveyed users regarding their interest in a wider range of emoji-based reactions, similar to those available on Facebook. Development of this feature appears to be underway.

The same survey also gauged user sentiment towards upvote and downvote buttons, alongside the emoji reactions.

Twitter confirms that the current test is being rolled out to a small group of users exclusively on iOS.