X Soon Allowing Users to Like Posts privately

Users' interactions with postings will be altered by a new feature called "private likes," which the social media platform X is set to launch.

This shift may begin as soon as today, according to a business source. Users' default setting for private likes is to make their post likes invisible. This feature is already available to X's Premium subscribers.

Elon Musk's Support for Private Likes

The owner of X, Elon Musk, is in favor of this adjustment. In order to highlight the significance of letting individuals like content without worrying about being attacked for their preferences, he reshared a snapshot of the story after it was published. Private likes, in Musk's opinion, might shield users from any retaliation.

Protecting Users' Public Image

X's director of engineering, Haofei Wang, stated a few weeks ago that the goal of this modification is to safeguard users' reputations. Wang stated that a lot of people get deterred from favoriting information that might be viewed as "edgy" or provocative.

The Likes tab on user profiles will disappear with the release of private likes. Users will still be able to view the total number of likes for all posts as well as who liked their own posts.

They won't be able to view who liked other people's postings, either. Senior software developer at X Enrique Barragan verified this and alluded to the feature's impending release.

Creating a Comfortable Environment

Wang noted last month, "Soon you'll be able to like without worrying who might see it." This statement highlights the platform's intention to create a more comfortable environment for users to express their preferences without fear of judgment.

This move aligns with Musk's earlier vision for X. He recommended late last year that the platform's programmers concentrate more on post views or "impressions" and do away with tweet action buttons like the like and repost buttons.

Musk wanted people to stop focusing so much on likes since he didn't think they were that important to the platform's success.

Broader Social Media Trends

According to a close source close to Musk, "This makes sense because like counts are becoming less common on social media overall. I have a suspicion that Musk is simply trying to distance himself from Twitter more and more."

This comment embodies the wider social media trend of placing less value on likes and more attention on user participation and the content itself.

Conclusion

A major change made by X to better safeguard its users and keep up with wider social media trends is the introduction of private likes. X wants to improve safety and user experience by turning likes private.

This move is intended to encourage users to engage more freely with content without the fear of being judged for their preferences.