It is easy to spread fake news and misinformation by mistake. This is because sometimes headlines can be misleading, or people just don’t bother to read and just click share, leading them to share wrong information. To help prevent the spread of fake news and these types of misinformation, Twitter will be making some changes when it comes to sharing.
In the Twitter app on Android, whenever users retweet a tweet that contains a link to an article, they will be prompted to read the article first. While this won’t stop users from sharing an article they haven’t read yet, hopefully the momentary pause that it gives users will encourage users to employ a bit of critical thinking and research before blindly hitting that retweet button.
Sharing an article can spark conversation, so you may want to read it before you Tweet it.
To help promote informed discussion, we're testing a new prompt on Android –– when you Retweet an article that you haven't opened on Twitter, we may ask if you'd like to open it first.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) June 10, 2020
Whether or not this will help cut down on fake news remains to be seen, but short of actually getting more involved, we suppose these types of prompts and suggestions will have to do. This is not the company’s only effort at trying to curb to help its users think before they tweet. Earlier last month, Twitter introduced a feature that prompts users to revise or edit their tweets before posting them, especially if it contains language that might be considered harmful.
Twitter is also not alone in trying to fight fake news, as other social media platforms such as Facebook have made similar efforts of their own.
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