The social media giant Twitter
Since social media is a form of written communication, then at times, people can express sentiments that they truly do not mean or end up regretting later on. So in 2020, Twitter tested prompts that inspired individuals to reflect a bit more before posting a tweet. Based upon the feedback that was received from the results of these tests, many improvements have been made to the overall system of Twitter, and the potential degree of harmfulness that it could do to users who are engaging on the platform.
The tests that Twitter conducted have led to a number of statistics and results. It has been found that: if prompted, 34% of people made changes to their replies or chose not to reply at all; after being prompted once, approximately 11% of individuals composed less offensive future replies; and if prompted, people were not nearly as likely to receive offensive replies in return.
Twitter, as a whole, has tweaked its system to choose how and when to send the prompts/reminders. They include the type of the relationship between the author and replier, as well as how frequently that they communicate with one another. If, for instance, two accounts follow and respond to one another, then there's a higher chance that they have a stronger understanding of how to speak with one another.
Twitter is also making changes to its technology to better represent issues with language in certain underrepresented communities. Profanities will be more strongly traced, and the technology will be improved in this respect.
Although the new Twitter feature may not have all its flaws worked out, it is certainly working to prevent harmful and offensive content, and thus, is allowing for a more user-friendly approach to the platform, which will ultimately draw in more individuals of all kinds.
