The downvote option that Twitter experimented on in 2021 is currently in production in the X-branded platform and is reportedly close to launch for public testing.
The downvote option was previously explained under the Twitter brand as only a test for research. The now X branded platform explains that the Dislike (broken heart) icon is for ranking responses to original tweets only. This denotes that the original post will not display a Broken Heart icon as a reaction-option.to an X post.
Concerns Raised about the Addition of the X Dislike Response Option
While ideally, the intention of the Dislike response option is to enhance the X system with the ability to rank replies, many X users are concerned that it will be used as a tool for harassment. Moreover, it will give spammers, baiters and engagement orchestrators more power to influence overall rankings.
There are suggestions to design a system that will not be weaponized the feature by limiting the use of Dislike option to merely downvote spam and junk replies; particularly for contents of X accounts that haters love to troll. That way, the system can quash any attempt to tank the post with negative reactions to make a post fail or rank poorly as a result of orchestrated targetting.
