Social Medi

Twitter to prompt users to read any website link before retweeting

Hemani Sheth Mumbai | Updated on November 16, 2020 Published on November 16, 2020

This is a way in which the social media major is trying to combat misinformation on the platform

Twitter will now prompt users on Android and iOS to read any website link before retweeting.

“Coming to Twitter to share information –– we love that. Knowing what you’re sharing –– we love that more. For some of you on Android and iOS, we’re testing a new feature that shows you a prompt when you Retweet any website link (not just articles),” Twitter tweeted from its official support account.

The microblogging platform began testing the feature earlier this year on Android. It prompted users to read an article that they hadn’t opened on Twitter 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 had said in September.

According to the social media major, during the testing phase, people open articles 40 per cent more often after seeing the prompt. The number of people opening articles before retweeting also increased by 33 per cent, Twitter said.

It began rolling out the feature to more users in October.

“You: *Retweets an unopened article* Us: *Read it before you Retweet it, pls* Know the full story before you share. If you're about to Retweet or Quote Tweet an article you haven’t opened on Twitter, we’ll remind you with a prompt –– now on iOS and Android,” Twitter had tweeted.

This is one of the ways in which the social media major is trying to combat misinformation on the platform.

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Published on November 16, 2020
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