Twitter’s new experimental feature is annoying a lot of users

Twitter is experimenting with a new feature that is downright blasphemous to experienced users. Some users are seeing a few tweets in their timelines that have merely been favorited by accounts they follow. That’s a massive change: Twitter has fundamentally only shown tweets and retweets posted by followed accounts in timelines to date. The experiment is particularly concerning for some because the favorite has always been rather mysterious. Despite its name, many do not use the favorite in the same way as a Facebook “Like.” Some use it as a simple acknowledgment of receiving a tweet or as a way of saying “thanks.” It can also be a simple way of saying that you found something funny. Others use it as a type of bookmarking system.