Every few seconds someone or the other is Tweeting, Retweeting, or replying to a Tweet. This is the power and magic of Twitter. But sometimes, this ease of use becomes a problem for many. To deal with it, and to prevent abuse & online harassment on social media, Instagram rolled out a feature. Adding to this initiative, Twitter on Wednesday announced, who can reply to your Tweet feature. Using it, users will be able to restrict unwanted users from replying to the post. This feature is similar to Facebook’s post view options.
However, there’s a catch once a Tweet is published, you cannot change the restrictions. The only way you’ll be left with will be deleting the Tweet. To know more about it, you can visit Twitter’s help center.
Testing, testing…
A new way to have a convo with exactly who you want. We’re starting with a small % globally, so keep your ? out to see it in action. pic.twitter.com/pV53mvjAVT rel=”nofollow noopener”
— Twitter (@Twitter) May 20, 2020
Blog.twitter.com
How does this feature work?
Before the tweet is posted, users get three options:
- Everyone (default setting, the traditional method)
- Only people you follow
- Only people you mention
If any of the latter two options are selected the reply icon greys out, making it clear that not all can reply. However, people who will be restricted from replying can Retweet, view, Retweet with Comment, and like these Tweets.
To use this feature, tap a small glove icon in the corner.
How did users react to this new feature?
Mixed responses have been received for this new feature. Where some like it, as they see it a way to stop online harassment, others raised concerns about public figures misusing the feature to shut down criticism. Further, some no reply tweets have been converted into memes.
“Being able to participate and understand what’s happening is key for useful public conversation. So, we’re exploring how we can improve these settings to give people more opportunities to weigh in a while still giving people control over the conversations they start.
One thing we know for sure is that you’ll be creative with this update. Maybe you’ll host a debate on the benefits of pineapple on pizza (#TeamPineapple) with fellow pizza pals or invite a panel of distinguished guests for a fireside chat. You could even play a game of tic-tac-toe for people to follow along without messing up your moves. We’re excited to see what you do!”
Who can use this new feature?
For now, only a selected few can use this feature on iOS, Android, and web. However, all users can see the conversations.
Not only will this feature help curb false practices, but it will also make people in the public eye more careful about how to use the feature. Users will also get the freedom to allow or disallow specific people from replying to their Tweets.
Most importantly, this feature will help prevent harassment and will improve conversations. However, it can become controversial if public figures will put limitations.
Twitter isn’t the only platform making changes; there are others like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp etc.
I think this is a great feature, but for those who look for a problem in everything, this might not be great. What do you think about this feature? Share your comments in the comments section.
Subscribe Now & Never Miss The Latest Tech Updates!