Twitter is rolling out an update that provides more context for trending topics, a feature that has been heavily used for misinformation.
Twitter is trying to clean up its act.
Related | Facebook Introduces Forwarding Limit On Messenger
Twitter Trends show what topics are the most talked about on the platform at any moment in time. While the statistical value and relevancy of trending topics are not doubted, the wording or hashtag that is indeed trending can sometimes be misleading.
In fact, Twitter explained that the question “why is this trending?” was tweeted over half a million times over the last year. The problem is real. I remember too well the day I woke up to see #whitelivesmatter trending and almost deleted my account before realizing it was a well-orchestrated stunt by K-pop fans all over the world to drown tweets from white supremacists.
Today, Twitter is rolling out several new features to help with this, and add more context to Trends. Pinned tweets and descriptions will now help users make sense of why something is trending on the platform.
Pinned tweets will be selected by a combination of algorithms and Twitter’s own curation team who will determine which tweet represents a trend by evaluating if the Tweet is very reflective of the trend and popular. The algorithms have been designed to identify representative Tweets that aren’t potentially abusive, spam, or posted by accounts trying to take advantage of the system.
Representative Tweets on trends can already be found on Twitter for iOS and Android and should come soon to twitter.com too.
Twitter is also adding brief descriptions to some trends to help add context to the trend. Descriptions will provide straightforward, clearly sourced context around why something is trending. Descriptions are developed by Twitter’s curation team.
Descriptions on trends will be found on twitter.com and Twitter for iOS and Android.
Representative Tweets and descriptions on trends will be available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Egypt, France, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
You might also like
More from Twitter
Twitter Is Testing New Misinformation Labels On Tweets
Twitter is testing a new labeling feature to try to stop the spread of misinformation on its platform.
Twitter Announces ‘Tomorrow,’ A New Local Weather News Service
Twitter is partnering with meteorologist and veteran climate journalist, Eric Holthaus, to launch "Tomorrow" - a local weather news service.
Twitter Starts Testing Fleet Ads
Twitter Fleet ads are the platform's first-ever vertical format ad offering.
Twitter Has Paused Its Verification Process Again
Just days after relaunching its verification application process, Twitter is once again pausing it - this time due to the …
Twitter Brings Spaces To Twitter.com On Desktop And Mobile
Twitter is bringing its audio feature Twitter Spaces to desktop, a platform where Clubhouse does not even have a presence.
Twitter Relaunches Profile Verification Application Process
Twitter announced that it is starting to roll out a new verification application process and reviewing public verification applications.
Twitter Is Preparing To Launch A New ‘Ticketed Spaces’ Feature
In a bid to help creators monetize their Twitter Spaces, Twitter is preparing to launch a new Ticketed Spaces feature …
Twitter About To Launch Twitter Blue, A Paid Subscription Service
According to reports, Twitter is close to launching 'Twitter Blue,' a paid subscription service.
Twitter On Android Finally Gets Its Own DM Search Bar
Almost two years after rolling out a DM search bar on iOS, Twitter has announced it's bringing the feature to …
