X, the social media platform, may soon implement changes to its interface by removing likes and retweets from view on the timeline, according to statements from X's software engineers. Ellis Driscoll, a software engineer at X, indicated in an April post that while he was not directly involved in the change, internal testing is ongoing. Driscoll mentioned that the rollout to users is expected to occur gradually over the next few weeks, potentially altering the user experience.
The initiative was hinted at through an unreleased user experience (UX) demo video shared by X's payments executive, Christopher Stanley. The video showcased an "exploded menu" concept, displaying likes and retweets in separate menus on the home screen. Driscoll clarified that the video primarily depicted the "more" menu and not necessarily the finalized user experience. He emphasized that the primary focus of the new interface will revolve around "simple gestures."
Stanley elaborated on the forthcoming changes, mentioning that the updated interface will allow users to interact with posts through actions like "long pressing and then swiping to select," akin to a video game interface. The move echoes Instagram's decision in 2021 to conceal public like counts, known as "hearts," in response to concerns about the mental well-being of its users, particularly younger demographics.
However, X has yet to offer substantial reasoning behind the removal of likes, apart from Stanley's comments indicating a focus on enhancing the user experience and maximizing content visibility. Critics of the proposed feature raise concerns that it could enable X to prioritize content preferred by its internal teams without users being able to discern the popularity of posts, drawing parallels to the approaches taken by Instagram and TikTok.
