Back in June, Twitter began testing a feature that would prompt users to read an article before they retweet it. Because, you know, thats something everyone should be doing. Now the test is rolling out to everyone and its probably one of the smartest things the company has done in a while.
As a recap, the feature essentially calls you out when you try to retweet an article that you havent opened on Twitter. Before youre able to share, youll see a prompt telling you that headlines dont tell the full story. Youll then have to confirm you want to share.
Twitter says that since it began testing the feature with a limited number of users, it has noticed:
- People open articles 40% more often after seeing the prompt
- people opening articles before retweeting in general increased by 33%
- Some people end up not retweeting after actually opening the article
More reading people open articles 40% more often after seeing the promptMore informed Tweeting people opening articles before RTing increased by 33% Some people didnt end up RTing after opening the article which is fine! Some Tweets are best left in drafts
Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) September 24, 2020
This a surprisingly encouraging result; it means people are sharing information in a more informed manner. The fact that some people are no longer sharing the article after opening it can only be a good thing. While Twitter doesnt specify if the feature led to reduced sharing of fake news, its not hard to see how encouraging people to actually read articles could make them more likely to share quality content.
Whats next: Making the prompt smaller after youve seen it once, because we get that you get itWorking on bringing these prompts to everyone globally soon pic.twitter.com/08WygQi06G
Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) September 24, 2020
Im sure the feature will occasionally be annoying say, if you read the article elsewhere but the benefits outweigh the cons. As a reporter, Im well aware of how many people share articles based on a headline alone; its part of why writing a headline takes a disproportionate amount of time relative to the rest of an article.
While theres no word on exactly when youll see the feature, the company says it will arrive soon. Heres to more informed tweeting.
Via The Verge
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