The test, which is currently limited to Android, is Twitter’s bid to curb the spread of misinformation and rumours on its platform. So, no more TL;DR!
Twitter on Wednesday announced that it will begin prompting users to read an article before they retweet it. The prompt message will pop up on the screen when a user decides to share a tweeted article without actually opening the link.
Readers may at times just read a particular caption or a comment on tweet attached with the tweeted article or only read the headline before retweeting it.
It could happen that the headline could be a clickbait or not provide complete context to the story, which is why Twitter wants users to open and read the article before retweeting it.
“Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it. To help promote informed discussion, we're testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven't opened on Twitter, we may ask if you'd like to open it first," Twitter said.
The test, which is currently limited to Android, is Twitter’s bid to curb the spread of misinformation and rumours on its platform. Kayvon Beykpour, Product Lead at Twitter, said, “It's easy for links/articles to go viral on Twitter. This can be powerful but sometimes dangerous, especially if people haven't read the content they're spreading. This feature (on Android for now) encourages people to read a linked article prior to Retweeting it.”
Twitter has rolled out a bunch of new features related to replies and retweets. Recently, the company began testing a feature that gives users more control as to who can reply to their tweets. As you compose a new Tweet, you can open replies to everyone, people you follow, or just people you @ mention.
The company also introduced Fleets — Twitter’s version of 24-hour stories — in India. Users can share texts, photos, GIFs, and videos through Fleets.
