The Twitter favorite (2006-2015) lost but not forgotten

Taylor Tyson
Staff Writer
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      R.I.P. to the Twitter favorite. As of Nov. 3, 2015, Twitter has changed all of its star-shaped favorite buttons to a heart-shaped like button. From polls (where one can poll friends about two topics) to moments (where one can catch up on the latest trending news), Twitter has expanded immensely in the past few months since Jack Dorsey’s promotion. However, the most influential change thus far has been the switch-over from favorites to likes. 

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      Twitter, customarily known for its unique lingo, tends to confuse adults, causing the social media site’s popularity ratings to stall. To undo this plateau in popularity, Twitter must rebrand and become simpler for new users. Targeting a more mature market, product manager, Akarshan Kumar is attempting to “make Twitter easier and more rewarding to use” with the heart.  As Kumar puts it, the heart is “a universal symbol that resonates across languages, cultures, and time zones.”
      The heart update left Twitter fans shocked. Although Twitter had previously adopted the heart onto the live broadcasting app, Periscope, many people did not expect this change. According to Kumar, the heart will be brought to Vine as well. The heart, alike to Twitter’s other new features, will take a little while to get used to it. Most people feel that the heart mimics the photo-sharing site, Instagram. Twitter’s recent transformations are nothing short of astonishing. However, fans worry that the updates will affect the brand’s originality, making the brand just like other social media websites.