Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

‘Trusted Friends’ and ‘hateful’ language filter: Twitter’s concept features to allow users to choose who & what they want to hear

‘Trusted Friends’ and ‘hateful’ language filter: Twitter’s concept features to allow users to choose who & what they want to hear

Proposed features that would enable Twitter users to limit their audience to only “trusted friends” and choose phrases to be blacklisted have prompted accusations of encouraging “echo chambers” against the social media platform.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, designer Andrew Courter noted that Twitter is “exploring a bunch of ways to control who can see your Tweets.” He shared three such early design concept features to solicit public discussion and feedback, but pointed out that the company is “not building these yet.”

With the ‘Trusted Friends’ feature, comparable to Instagram’s ‘Close Friends’ functionality for its stories, users can “control who can see” their tweets – potentially toggling privacy settings to tailor their audience according to what they put out.

Reasoning that it “could be simpler to talk to who you want, when you want” instead of “juggling alt accounts,” Courter tweeted that “perhaps (users) could also see trusted friends’ tweets first” in their timelines – as opposed to the current algorithm-determined and chronologically-ordered ‘Home’.


According to TechCrunch, it would build on already existing controls that let original posters pick who is able to ‘reply’ to their tweets – those mentioned in the tweet, people they follow, or the default option, ‘everyone’. However, that feature left the actual tweet visible and shareable by anyone.

The second proposed change, under the working name ‘Facets’, would allow people to categorize tweets according to context by “embracing an obvious truth: we’re different people in different contexts” with respect to friends, family, work, and public lives.

According to Courter, this concept lets people tweet “from distinct personas within 1 account,” while enabling other individuals to “follow the whole account” or just the ‘facets’ they find interesting. For instance, a personal persona could relate to hobbies, while a professional persona is work-related.

Meanwhile, the third feature would allow users to filter out phrases deemed to be “hateful, hurtful and violent” or considered “profanity” that they would “prefer not to see” in replies to their tweets. They can also choose “automatic actions” like “moving violating replies to the bottom of the conversation” and “muting accounts that violate twice” despite the prompts.


Followers would then see these phrases “highlighted” in their replies and a prompt nudges them to “learn why” or they can just “ignore the guidance,” according to Courter. Likening it to a “spellcheck” against “sounding like a jerk,” he noted that it could help “set boundaries” for conversations.

The proposals drew a mixed reaction from the platform’s users, with several people raising concerns that the prospect of tweeters picking and choosing their audiences and the replies they would prefer to receive increased the likelihood of “echo chambers” and “virtue signalling.”



“Twitter is a public forum. It’s what makes it different. Close the communities enough, and it gets turned into a Facebook clone. One Facebook style social network is definitely enough,” one person tweeted.

When some users pointed out that the features would “block accounts,” Courter responded that “blocks are underused” and claimed there is a “need to normalize blocking and teach how it works.”

In response to Courter’s contention that the reply filters would “help people be their best selves,” a number of people agreed that it would “set a model for empathetic phrasing,” but others said it sounded like “another attempt to pressure users into ‘acceptable’ speech.”

Other users said the concept of tying different personas to one account had been explored previously by Google with their defunct ‘Circles+’ with one person saying it would lead to individual privacy concerns that are not present with the current workaround of using alternate accounts.


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
EU Majority Demands Hungary Reverse Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
Top Hotel Picks for 2025 Stays in Budapest Revealed
Iron Maiden Unveils 2025 Tour Setlist in Budapest
Chinese Film Week Opens in Budapest to Promote Cultural Exchange
Budapest Airport Launches Direct Flights to Shymkent
Von der Leyen Denies Urging EU Officials to Skip Budapest Pride
Alcaraz and Sinner Advance with Convincing Wins at Roland Garros
EU Ministers Lack Consensus on Sanctioning Hungary Over Rule of Law
EU Nations Urge Action Against Hungary's Pride Parade Ban
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
U.S. Considers Withdrawing Troops from Europe
Russia Deploys Motorbike Squads in Ukraine Conflict
Critics Accuse European Court of Human Rights of Overreach
Spain Proposes 100% Tax on Non-EU Holiday Home Purchases
German Intelligence Labels AfD as Far-Right Extremist
Geert Wilders Threatens Dutch Coalition Over Migration Policy
Hungary Faces Multiple Challenges Amid EU Tensions and Political Shifts
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Thirteen Killed in Russian Attacks Across Ukraine
High-Profile Incidents and Political Developments Dominate Global News
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Ukraine and Russia Conduct Largest Prisoner Exchange of the War
×