4 min read
X has quietly rolled out a new option that lets users sort who liked a post either by mutual connections and account reach or by recency, a subtle product change that could shift how creators, brands, and ordinary users read signals on the platform.
The update, announced by X product lead Nikita Bier, places mutuals and high-reach accounts at the top of the likes list, with an easy toggle to view the most recent likers instead.
Open any post, tap to view who liked it, then use the new sort control to switch between Top and Recent. Top orders likes to surface mutual follows and larger accounts first, giving creators a faster way to spot influencer or partner engagement. Recent shows the latest accounts that reacted, useful for rapid monitoring and outreach. The change is rolling out now on mobile and web.
Not Just A Tiny UI Tweak
On its face, sorting likes sounds minor, but it changes how engagement is interpreted. For high volume posts, a chronological list of thousands of likes is noise; sorting by mutuals or influence converts that noise into actionable signals for creators, PR teams, and community managers.
It speeds discovery of who actually matters for amplification or partnership outreach, and it helps surface meaningful interactions without manual digging. Reports show X has been rolling out several sorting and discovery upgrades this year, making this addition part of a larger UX push.
X and the Privacy Puzzle
This update sits on top of a major shift X made last year toward making likes private for general users while still allowing post authors to see who liked their tweet. That prior change, intended to protect users who want to like content without public exposure, complicates the social graph.
Likes are simultaneously more private and now more sortable for post authors. That tension raises questions about transparency and how platforms surface who matters in public conversations.
Creator and Moderation Implications to X Users
For creators and brands, the feature streamlines influencer outreach and community management. PR teams can quickly identify high value engagement and follow up. For moderators and researchers, being able to surface likes from accounts with opposing views or high reach can help identify inorganic boosting or coordinated activity. Tech teams at X have been experimenting with algorithms that highlight posts liked by users with differing perspectives, a related effort to improve signal quality and reduce echo chambers.
Potential Downturns and Risks
Any sorting system invites gaming. Bad actors may try to manufacture “Top” likes via sock puppets or reciprocal networks to manipulate perceived endorsement. There is also a UX fairness debate. Prioritizing mutuals and big accounts could unintentionally devalue smaller creators’ engagement.
X will need safeguards to prevent manipulation and to ensure the feature does not further centralize attention, however, it seems highly unlikely.
What is X’s Broader Product Strategy?
X’s recent months have included a suite of discovery and sorting experiments such as reply sorting, communities filters, and tests that surface posts with cross ideological likes. The likes sorting control is consistent with that playbook. It gives users and authors more agency over what they see and surfaces signals that matter for engagement and moderation. Observers note this builds toward a platform where curation tools are increasingly personal and context aware, competing with features on rival apps.
However, there are some reservations that cannot be overlooked. With what has happened with X in the past including controversies, this feature seems like it will inadvertently magnify existing tensions around privacy, visibility, and platform manipulation. The net effect will depend on how widely it rolls out, whether X pairs it with anti abuse controls, and how users adapt. As well as how much the owner of the social media app takes the consequences of this measure seriously.
