INSIGHT – Why favouriting tweets should be stopped

I’m sorry everyone. I’m going to have to come out and say it. I don’t like people who favourite on Twitter. I’m guilty of doing it too, and thus a hypocrite, but here’s why it’s rubbish, and shouldn’t be a thing.

Twitter is not Facebook, and shouldn’t be used in the same way. Like everyone else, I CARE about likes on Facebook. [Insert random person’s name here] and 33 other people have liked my profile picture/status? YES! I’m SO attractive/witty. It just doesn’t work like that on Twitter.

If I’ve written something funny on Twitter, I’d like a retweet. Is that too much to ask? Favourites are just a way of saying ‘Hey, I read your tweet and appreciate it, but I’m not going to interact with it in any way whatsoever, except for showing only you, the original poster of said tweet, that I’ve read and appreciated it.’

The worst is when someone with LOADS of followers favourites your tweet, rather than retweeting it. It just feels like a massive slap in the face. It needs to stop.

I’m not saying favourites don’t have a purpose in the Twittersphere. If you want to bookmark a link or a fitness tip or anything bookmarkable, go right ahead and favourite that tweet! Another acceptable time to favourite is when a conversation is just going on for way too long on Twitter – once it gets to eight tweets back and forth, it’s probably time to favourite. But, lets’s be honest, who has ever looked at someone else’s favourites? I think mine would be pretty damn boring.

I’m worried I’ve now opened up too much, but there must be other people who feel the same as me. We could create a club or something. Anyone?