Elon Musk Promises Twitter’s Cluttered ‘View Count’ Will Be Optional Soon
Another day, another new Twitter bell and whistle. Following Elon Musk’s takeover, the social network has been introducing a bevy of controversial features, and abruptly taking them back.
In time for Christmas, the company bestowed users—and their followers—with the gift of knowing how many times their posts have been viewed. After all, there is no better present than when someone is present… and lurking.
Your ‘View Count’, or impression count in industry jargon, can be seen by anyone who lands on your tweet. It’s located all the way to the left side of tweets, in front of analytics for replies, retweets, and likes, giving off the perception that eyeballs are more important than users’ motivation to interact.
the views count below tweets being the only action which can’t really be interacted with, is what happens when designers are not part of the product development process. ðŸ’â™‚ï¸ pic.twitter.com/z23ha7d9tA
— Wolfgang Bremer (@WolfgangBremer) December 23, 2022
Considering that rivaling platforms have reduced the visibility of metrics in the name of mental health, Twitter’s decision to go against the grain by broadcasting more numbers may also surprise many.
Musk explained on December 22, when the feature was rolled out, that the ‘View Count’ makes Twitter feel more “alive,” since traditional measurements of engagement such as likes and retweets don’t capture the true exposure of tweets. He claimed that “over 90%” of users read posts “but don’t tweet, reply, or like.”
According to the Twitter support site, every unique and non-unique hit counts as a view. That means if the same person chances upon your tweet multiple times—say, once on their Home feed and another time when they close the app, return, and see it again—all those views will be recorded. Even reading your own tweet tracks as an additional view.
Understandably, some users wonder if Twitter is making it this easy to inflate views to “trick” advertisers.
Twitter views are MADE UP to trick advertisers https://t.co/mUNu6YES1A
— Weegeepie (@WeegeepieYT) December 26, 2022
While the feature’s rollout has been praised by some—including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, who commented, “Much better metric”—most of the reactions appear to be negative, with many calling the UI/UX addition “too messy,” “ugly,” and “extremely obnoxious.”
It’s ugly. Now the timeline is filled with floating numbers everywhere.
— Handoko Tjung (@handokotjung) December 23, 2022
“I’ve been on this… website since 2006 and this is the stupidest, most anti-user design decision ever made at Twitter,” remarks concept artist Mike Rundle.
Some question if Twitter had consulted mental health experts prior to making impressions apparent to all. Others say that if the site is hell-bent on putting metrics on show, it would be easier on the eye if the numbers were tucked away instead of being so “visible outrightly.”
“I’ve never seen so much of Twitter so united AGAINST something,” laments one user, who urges the platform to remove the “useless, distracting, frustrating” feature.
For those who think the ‘View Count’ is cluttering up their browsing experience, fret not. Musk says the setting to opt out of the feature is coming. When, you ask? That’s unknown, though it is hoped that the option will be here before the mythical Tesla Cybertruck ever arrives.
Twitter’s new CEO has also announced that the social network will “tidy up” the look and feel of the numbers, though he’s convinced that the feature will eventually grow on everyone.
We’ll tidy up the esthetics & add a setting to turn it off, but I think almost everyone will grow to like it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 24, 2022
In regards to how the UI will be cleaned up, Musk is considering repositioning the ‘View Count’, and he has made this known through a poll. Over 2.5 million votes later, it seems the majority wants the feature to be shifted to the right.
Tweet impression count should
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 23, 2022
So you’re saying you prefer the right? Heheh
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 23, 2022
[via Mashable and The Daily Dot, images via various sources]
