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Social media platform X<\/a> is making likes private, a move that CEO Elon Musk describes as vital for users to \u201clike posts without getting attacked for doing so.\u201d Initially, the option to hide the likes tab was introduced as an exclusive benefit for X Premium subscribers. \u201c[Keep] spicy likes private,\u201d X stated during the announcement of this feature.<\/p>\n This week we\u2019re making Likes private for everyone to better protect your privacy.<\/p>\n \u2013 You will still be able to see posts you have liked (but others cannot).<\/p>\n \u2013 Like count and other metrics for your own posts will still show up under notifications.<\/p>\n \u2013 You will no longer see who\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Engineering (@XEng) June 11, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In a recent post, Haofei Wang, the company\u2019s director of engineering, said that the upcoming change aims to safeguard users\u2019 public images. He explained, \u201cMany people feel discouraged\u201d from liking \u201cedgy\u201d content.<\/p>\n Yeah, we are making likes private.<\/p>\n Public likes are incentivizing the wrong behavior. For example, many people feel discouraged from liking content that might be “edgy” in fear of retaliation from trolls, or to protect their public image.<\/p>\n Soon you\u2019ll be able to like without\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/vPGllc4pB0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Haofei (@wanghaofei) May 22, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n However, the engineering team has announced that the network will transition to private likes for all users this week. People will not be able to see who has liked other users\u2019 posts, possibly reducing PR headaches for celebrities and other public figures who like controversial content. Users will still retain the ability to see who liked their own posts, as well as their total likes and other related metrics.<\/p>\n Speaking to The Verge<\/a>, a source from the company said: \u201cSocial media in general is shifting away from like counts, so this makes sense.<\/p>\n \u201cPart of me thinks [Musk] just wants to disassociate from Twitter more and more.\u201d<\/p>\n The launch removes the incentive to purchase a premium subscription. Last year, the company saw a decline in advertising revenue<\/a>, causing it to introduce two new subscription levels to address its financial difficulties. The Premium+ tier, priced at $16 per month, offers an ad-free experience, while the basic tier, available for $3 per month, does not include the website\u2019s blue checkmark.<\/p>\n The decision to hide all users\u2019 likes takes place just over a week after X revised its policy to allow pornography on the platform<\/a>. In this update, X announced it would accept consensually produced adult pornographic content, provided it is \u201cproperly labeled and not prominently displayed.\u201d<\/p>\n Previously, Twitter had allowed pornographic content, and Reuters noted in 2022 that such content constituted approximately 13 percent of Twitter\u2019s uploads.<\/p>\n Featured image: Canva<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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Why is X changing its likes policy?<\/h2>\n