Social media network Twitter has announced that it will be testing a new feature that aims to restrict the sharing of articles by users who have not read them. This feature asks users if they have read an article before retweeting it, and is aimed at stemming the tide of false information on the social media network.
According to Twitter’s support team, “Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you tweet it.” This was made known by a tweet from the Support team’s handle. Twitter intends to test this feature on its Android application, with the aim of promoting informed discussion.
This feature will go a long way in improving healthy conversations on the network, while reducing misinformation. However, Twitter will also make it possible for users to still proceed with retweeting the content if they are not particularly interested in reading it up.
Last month, Twitter limited the reach of certain tweets made by US president Donald Trump, claiming that they were misleading and were also violating the platform’s rules. The US president responded by signing an executive order which could take away certain legal protections of social media firms.
At a time where the spread of fake news is at an all-time high, it is interesting to see a social media platform take steps to limit misinformation through its platform.
References