TikTok has just announced the downvotes button test (similar to “ I do not likes”) for comments on its platform. Goal : “ help ensure the comments section is always relevant and a place for authentic engagement “.
The downvote is coming to TikTok
It is already possible for TikTok users to indicate if they do not like a video so that the platform adjusts its algorithm and no longer shows them similar content. Now, the Chinese social network is testing a downvote button for comments. She explains :
“We’ve started testing a way to let people flag comments they think are irrelevant or inappropriate. This feedback from the community will add to the set of factors we already use to ensure that the comments section is always relevant and a place for authentic engagement.”
Thus, some users have already seen the new button within their application. This looks like a thumbs down and is right next to the “ I like » ; TikTok further clarifies that people whose comments have been “ dislike will not be notified, while commenters and other users will not be able to see how many times a comment has been disliked. For TikTok, this button is not a way to flag comments, but rather allows users to flag comments that might be spam or don’t make sense in the context of the video they’re posted under. .
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An already widespread and controversial pimple
The downvote button is a controversial topic in social media. For example, YouTube, which made negative buttons public for years, eventually decided to hide them, saying the feature contributed to targeted harassment on the platform.
In 2018, Facebook announced that it was testing downvote buttons, allowing it to moderate content since users had to justify why they had clicked on it. However, the tool has not been deployed over the long term. For its part, Twitter is also in a trial period with a system similar to that put in place by TikTok. It allows users to downvote replies to tweets, so the platform has a better understanding of the types of posts that are most relevant. This button is largely inspired by Reddit’s system, where the community dictates the ranking of replies.
At this time, TikTok has not indicated what impact this feature will have on the ranking of comments under videos. Thus, it is unknown whether this will result in a change in the way comments will display for individual users or for the community as a whole. As with Twitter, it seems its goal is to give more feedback on what users don’t like, which will allow the platform to further refine its systems to prioritize the most relevant and engaging remarks. .
Tiktok dislike comment button just make it looks messy I think pic.twitter.com/bBNEk6QsXY
— yazz? (@iniyaspip) March 14, 2022
TikTok is rolling out tools to better protect its creators
In his blog post, TikTok also announced the test of reminders that will guide creators to options for filtering comments and bulk blocking and deleting. ” These reminders will be for creators whose videos seem to receive a high proportion of negative comments. We will continue to remove comments that violate our Community Guidelines, and creators can continue to flag comments or accounts individually or in bulk for our review. “, explains the social network.
For the time being, these different features are still only at the test stage, TikTok will let you know if they will be definitively adopted in the coming weeks.