For starters, “favorite” is a noun, not a verb. It’s also sort of a mouthful, leading some to shorten it to “fave” or “fav,” with all the spelling and pronunciation confusion those entail. A more serious limitation, for the purposes of a social network, is that “favorite” is a superlative. You can like any number of things, but only one can be your favorite.
That was the point that activist Twitter investor Chris Sacca made when he argued in June that Twitter should trade in its stars for hearts. “Favorite,” he wrote, “is too strong a word.” He went on: