Twitter will soon start asking its users to click on a link to an article to read them before retweeting them. This has naturally come up because the trend of retweeting and reacting to an article title is not new on Twitter.
According to a tweet by Twitter support, the social media platform is now testing a prompt on its Android app such that when you retweet an article you haven’t opened on Twitter, you may be asked if you’d like to open it first.
Here’s how it looks:
I did read it, actually 🤔 pic.twitter.com/sqikMwu0pV
— Eric Tendian (@EricTendian) June 10, 2020
This recent announcement was received with mixed reactions.
Obviously journalists and writers would top the list of those who praise the idea, while regular Twitter users are split between admiring the ‘bold’ move and spelling doom for the social network.
Wait I thought the headline was the article. https://t.co/BpxkNWbpzY
— Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/jimwaterson/status/1270790266287460352
What is really, really interesting about this is that it deliberately introduces friction in a platform normally designed to be v. Frictionless.
Sounds like almost nothing, but friction can have huge impacts in aggregate behaviour. https://t.co/xrhYSJRxNe
— Carl Miller (@carljackmiller) June 10, 2020
Big move! Will be super curious about the data here. I expect it will help reduce the spread of misinfo. Side effect might be a barrier for paywalled news orgs to get their stories shared https://t.co/7EVzVzBxxf
— Sarah Frier (@sarahfrier) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/bendreyfuss/status/1270786774734954497
Hey kids, here’s some advice from your good friends at Twitter.
Possible bumper stickers for this campaign:
If you didn’t read it, don’t feed it.
If you care, think before you share
Don’t seed before you read. https://t.co/0GvawqSohe
— Ron Miller (@ron_miller) June 10, 2020
So this represents a fun set of assumptions.
1. You do all your reading based on things you click on Twitter
2. Twitter tracks every single article you click on and records the full URL against your profile.
3. Retweeting unread links is very commonhttps://t.co/scW20WShLE
— Aram Zucker-Scharff | @[email protected] (@Chronotope) June 10, 2020
— Dominique Taylor (@floridahoya) June 10, 2020
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. https://t.co/qdYZ8w9e27
— Kayvon Beykpour (@kayvz) June 10, 2020
Down with this if it also prevents people from blasting an article where they've only read the headline https://t.co/XujhUd2lp0
— Jeremy B. White (@JeremyBWhite) June 10, 2020
Healthy conversations is no longer just a buzzword at Twitter. Asking people to read an article before they retweet it is a solid step in reducing mindless sharing of sensational headlines & click bait.
This + controlling who can reply to your posts + fake news label = 🏆 https://t.co/DZro4my2Zy
— Dare Obasanjo🐀 (@Carnage4Life) June 10, 2020
"Read it before you Tweet it." — the battle cry of our generation https://t.co/PFkCxbGiVH
— Rishi Iyengar (@Iyengarish) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/darth/status/1270787988306321409
https://twitter.com/pierce/status/1270786956180377600
https://twitter.com/BrandyZadrozny/status/1270809454150406147
a truly novel idea: reading something before you share it https://t.co/MgtBgQx5Rn
— Kaleigh Rogers (@KaleighRogers) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/BrandyZadrozny/status/1270786893123399681
https://twitter.com/margarita/status/1270786722184364032
interesting idea here to combat misinformation — I imagine there is a lot more retweeting without reading going on than we think (I know I am guilty…) https://t.co/0zKtgIGO6X
— Kurt Wagner (@KurtWagner8) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/LaurenGoode/status/1270793505317646336
https://twitter.com/bendreyfuss/status/1270787015458652161
That’s a good idea
— Sarah Frier (@sarahfrier) June 10, 2020
Next: answer these five questions about the article's premise and supporting evidence before RTing or commenting. Yes, we want you to read the kicker — why do you think the writer worked so hard on it!!
— John O'Neil (@THAToneil) June 10, 2020
For what it’s worth, I don’t think we speak nearly enough about how important friction is.
Behavioural scientists and platform designers really obsess over it because they know how powerful it can be. https://t.co/feFbviWkRy
— Carl Miller (@carljackmiller) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/rowlsmanthorpe/status/1270792793611526144
https://twitter.com/jimwaterson/status/1270791480320446464
So either Twitter has started storing click through data on profiles at a specific level it previously avoided or its exports exclude it? I'm running another data export now to see if I get every link I clicked on via Twitter.
— Aram Zucker-Scharff | @[email protected] (@Chronotope) June 10, 2020
Twitter now policing you when you haven't even read the article you're tweeting is too much policing https://t.co/mNJObQEva3
— Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) June 10, 2020
bold product move that threatens to bring conversation on this platform to a total standstill https://t.co/uVglKbyO2C
— Stephanie M. Lee (@stephaniemlee) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/ibogost/status/1270786209200119815
https://twitter.com/lizzieohreally/status/1270784672918843392
this is interesting https://t.co/XNeWqvkk2T
— Adriana Lacy (@Adriana_Lacy) June 10, 2020
Imo this passes the vibe check https://t.co/eSEccGSbvt
— Caroline Haskins (@car0linehaskins) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/ow/status/1270796573908381696
Lolllll this is gonna be the end of this site https://t.co/Q3I1DeuKR5
— Jack Hamilton (@jack_hamilton) June 10, 2020
this is so needed in 2020 https://t.co/ZyOIfLj0Zu
— Matt Navarra (I quit X. Follow me on Threads) (@MattNavarra) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/bcmerchant/status/1270786455833460736
Twitter is testing out a new feature that shames people for sharing stories after only reading the headline and I'm all for it https://t.co/E9nnWHBKZ2
— Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/jamesrbuk/status/1270791418458537985
About fucking time https://t.co/e6NQj4DWpF
— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) June 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/hshaban/status/1270794378232160257
Hurray! Now Twitter will do my "But have you read the article?" snark for me. https://t.co/qNqtEg5rue
— Kiran Stacey (@kiranstacey) June 10, 2020
And next step will be requirement to spend predefined time reading. Only after that you will be allowed to retweet, comment or like.
And well, no, there is no Edit button for Tweets in sight. https://t.co/g5AmwfZma1
— Daniel Dočekal (@Medvidekpu) June 10, 2020
Kudos to Twitter. Trading engagement for a healthy society is difficult when engagement = money. But this is the right move. Sets a precedent that Facebook should follow. https://t.co/5vFDppj50S
— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) June 10, 2020
This is Twitter’s latest effort to fight misinformation especially in curbing viral clicky bait articles from going viral.
The company recently started labelling false and or misleading tweets especially from US President Donald Trump and other tweets that link 5G with coronavirus.
The prompt will be based on clickthrough and not time spent on page. This test will run for at least a few weeks to get enough data to make an informed decision on next steps.
