The fast-paced world of social media doesn’t usually allow much time to think before you type. But Twitter wants to slow things down by encouraging people to pause and reconsider potentially harmful or offensive replies.
“People come to Twitter to talk about what’s happening, and sometimes conversations about things we care about can get intense and people say things in the moment they might regret later,” product managers Anita Butler and Alberto Parrella wrote in a blog announcement.
Following a 2020 trial run, the platform this week began rolling out new prompts that urge users to take a step back before sending a reply, giving them the opportunity to make edits or delete the message entirely. Initial tests ultimately resulted in people sending fewer potentially harmful replies and improved overall behavior.
Twitter had to work out some algorithmic kinks—i.e. struggling to differentiate between offensive language, sarcasm, and friendly banter. “Throughout the experiment process, we analyzed results, collected feedback from the public, and worked to address our errors, including detection inconsistencies,” Parrella and Butler said.
But with a few tweaks and some added modifications (including better accounting for situations in which language may be reclaimed by underrepresented communities and used in non-harmful ways), the feature is now available to all iOS and Android accounts with English-language settings enabled.
Other developments include consideration for the nature of the relationship between author and replier; more accurate detection of strong language, including profanity; and an easier way for people to advise if they found the prompt helpful or relevant.
“We’ll continue to explore how prompts … and other forms of intervention can encourage healthier conversations on Twitter,” according to the blog. “Our teams will also collect feedback from people on Twitter who have received reply prompts as we expand this feature to other languages. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to learn and make new improvements to encourage more meaningful conversations on Twitter.”
