Big, important changes on the social media front:
Twitter has finally decided to leave the emotional dark ages and add “hearts” to its repertoire of limited expression.
Prior to this, Twitter users were relegated to expressing their approval of other people’s jokes, pithy comments and pictures of impending meals by “favouriting” said tweet with a star symbol or typing “Wicked, Tuscan Chicken Wrap, bro! #nomnom #blessed #WhyMustYouForSakeMeLunchGods.”
But what is a star symbol but a primitive tool, a crude exclamation mark, an asterisk that thinks a little too highly of itself.
Which is why Twitter has decided to make amends to its millions of users who have suffered for too long under the shackles of its star system by permitting them to “like” something with the click of a button.
But why not provide a wide range of emojis from happy faces to clapping hands to smiling poops, you might be asking.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s about simplifying things and getting rid of the often-confusing emotional clutter, says Twitter’s reassuring blog, which for some reason is not limited to 140 characters like the rest of us heathens.
“We are changing our star icon for favorites to a heart and we’ll be calling them likes… 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.” So true, so true.
Furthermore, the heart “is a universal symbol that resonates across languages, cultures, and time zones. The heart is more expressive, enabling you to convey a range of emotions and easily connect with people.”
Still, one question remains. If Twitter can express its love after all these years, why can’t our father. Seriously, Dad, are you reading this?
Probably not.
