The Twitter interface is filled with numbers. These numbers, or metrics, measure and present our social value and activity online, enumerating followers, likes, retweets, and more. But what are the effects of these numbers on who we follow, what we post, or how we feel when we use the site? Inviting us to consider these questions through our own experience, Twitter Demetricator is a web browser extension that hides the metrics. Follower, like, and notification counts disappear. “29.2K Tweets” under a trending hashtag becomes, simply, “Tweets”. Through changes like these, Demetricator lets us try out Twitter without the numbers, to see what happens when we can no longer judge ourselves and others in metric terms. With this artwork, I aim to disrupt our obsession with social media metrics, to reveal how they guide our behavior, and to ask who most benefits from a system that quantifies our public interactions online.
Works with https://twitter.com and https://tweetdeck.twitter.com.
100% support for many language versions of Twitter, including English, English (UK), German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Hungarian, and Sweedish; near full support for many other languages.
Just installed this and I’m already so happy.
As an artist, I absolutely struggle with critically analyzing the amount of engagement I get and compare it to others around me. I’m ecstatic to have these numbers hidden from me so I can focus less on others and moreso on myself and feeling better about the works I put out.
Truly- thank you so much.
i love this extension! i was getting really sick of twitter when i realized i had started getting obsessed with the numbers on my art and other posts. it’s just not a healthy way to live lol
glad i found this and it works like a charm
*EDIT* it looks like it has stopped completely working as of a few days ago. There are several instances where I can still see the twitter metrics now. It’d be nice to do an update, but I’m not sure where the update would need to happen.
I entirely rely on this extension to use Twitter. I consider Twitter’s methods to be psychological warfare, exploiting our obsession with numbers and being the best. I started using this extension 2 years ago and it’s helped me so much at uncoupling my sense of self worth with the scores my art and animations get. Now all I care about are the comments. My sense of how something does now is only vague, like “Oh this got a lot of comments” or “this didn’t get as many” and this is often not indicative of the actual score. I’ve gotten tons of connections and opportunities without having to obsess about metrics.
I seriously fear the time when this extension stops working. It’s so blissful using Twitter without worrying about how I stack up. I’m doing fine.
This was a great extension, worked perfectly until today. I don’t know if it’s because of chrome’s newest update but I still can’t see likes and retweets but I can see my follower/following count.
thanks man. was looking for something like this for ages it doesn’t work for me for trends but it’s ok for me since i don’t look their too much anyways thanks and have a great day.
Doesn’t work anymore, now shows that everyone has a like, retweet, and comment. (the little dots)
Thank you.
Exactly what I needed to be able to use the platform without having a spiralling meltdown.
doesn’t work, doesn’t actually ask for permission for changing site data, but for reading browser history instead
obvious spyware
Awesome. I used to hate see my twitter info all time I do tweeting. This one helps me a lot.
Exactly what the other user said below—this extension works beautifully and instantly, but I also wish that timestamps weren’t removed from posts.
So glad this exists! I’ve been hesitant to try twitter for years, weary of the effects it might have on me socially. I simply was unwilling to give over the time and energy I imagined I might give to something so well designed to tap into my ego.
Having discovered this, I’m finally willing to give Twitter a shot. Thank you! This is one I’ll share with my friends.
P.S. My only gripe, also mentioned by another reviewer, is that this extension (the Facebook one as well) lacks the ability to choose which metrics are hidden (I especially would like to be able to see the timestamps sometimes). That said, I understand the circumstances around this extension’s development. If the user base ever reaches a point where monetary incentive from the community allows further development of Ben’s extensions, I hope he knows I’d be a happy paying customer.
Works great. Creates a very different, more calm and mindful twitter experience. It even encourages me to interact and post *more* since I’m less aware of and concerned with my metrics being low in comparison with those of others.
I’m recommending this to friends.
this is really what i needed but it would be nice if the tweet’s posted time wasn’t hidden.