Twitter Replaces Favorite Star Icon With Heart Symbol To Gain New Users

Early this week, fans of the social media platform were introduced to Twitter’s new favorite symbol: the heart. According to the company, the symbol is more expressive than the age-old star icon.

“We want to make Twitter easier and more rewarding to use, and we know that at times the star could be confusing, especially to newcomers. You might like a lot of things, but not everything can be your favorite,” Twitter Product Manager Akarshan Kumar wrote in a blog post.

The latest change, however, met online criticism from its users to UX disciples, Wired.com reported. The site said the negative feedback Twitter received was probably due to the limitation on a user’s reaction to a particular tweet.

On the other hand, it has been suggested that the change was also probably due to Twitter’s gameplan in getting more new users into the platform. Pentagram partner Natasha Jen said, “The heart is likely to trigger more social activities because its meaning (like) is well understood in society. When something is understood, it’s more likely to engage people.”