Why 'likes' are breaking hearts on Twitter

Don't get surprised if you see a little shiny red heart instead of your "favourite" golden star on your Twitter: that's the latest feature Twitter has introduced to draw more users. That's a serious fault in Twitter's stars, a tweet says. Twitter, like Instagram and Facebook joins the "like" club where users can hit the heart icon to express how they feel. From bookmarking a tweet to expressing approval, the star button allowed the user to keep a tab on the tweets they go through, now replaced by a heart.

You can say a lot with a heart. Introducing a new way to show how you feel on Twitter: https://t.co/WKBEmORXNW pic.twitter.com/G4ZGe0rDTP

— Twitter (@twitter) November 3, 2015

Twitter since the last few years have been struggling to attract new users. In fact, the social media giant has lost $132mn in the last quarter, an alarming figure that the company plans to overcome with innovative features - the star one of them. The company's decision of renaming the "favourite" feature to "like" has created a debate among genuine Twitter users who believe Twitter is now no longer different than other social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram.

"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 favourite... The heart, in contrast, is a universal symbol that resonates across languages, cultures, and time zones," the company said in a blog post.

Dear @twitter, if I wanted to "LIKE" something, I'd be on Facebook. What next, changing retweets to shares??? Down with #TwitterHeart

— Jay Ong (@jayong28) November 4, 2015

Clicking stars on stranger's tweets - not awkward; clicking hearts on stranger's tweets - really awkward. #TwitterHeart

— Kim Rescate (@krescate) November 4, 2015

Dil deke dekho Dil deke dekho Dil deke dekho jee Favorite karne valon Dil dena seekhoji #sorry #reallysorry

— Preeti Vangani (@Pscripturient) November 3, 2015

If Twitter really wants to mess with people they’ll change Retweets to Endorsements

— Mike Brown (@mikearildbrown) November 3, 2015

More than anything Twitter needs a "Why don't you go to Pakistan ?" button.

— José Covaco (@HoeZaay) November 3, 2015

Everyone's reaction to #TwitterHeart pic.twitter.com/kn4HJp3xjP

— Carl Hendrick (@C_Hendrick) November 3, 2015

Twitter: we are introducing #TwitterHeart Barkha: is this in response to the rising intolerance in India?

— meena boy!!!!!! (@vish_was_is) November 4, 2015

At least someone's not upset over #TwitterHeart. @absrdNEWS pic.twitter.com/7ehahJhche

— Michael Blackman (@ParaComedian09) November 4, 2015

Meanwhile at Twitter HO #TwitterHeart pic.twitter.com/4dNIqrrVA0

— Madrasi (@MadrasMemoirs) November 4, 2015

A message for #TwitterHeart... pic.twitter.com/9Owc3BPkZd

— Chris Chamberlin (@popculturechris) November 4, 2015