If you ask just about anybody who spends time on Twitter, all they want is an edit button. Practically anything else seems to be a priority over at Twitter HQ, though, and now BuzzFeed is reporting that Twitter is going to try a few tweaks to fix Twitter dunking and the famous Twitter ratio — in other words, the very best parts of the service.
News: Twitter knows ratio, dunking, and retweeting mindlessly are a problem. Within two weeks, it will begin a series of experiments that tweak core functionality like the retweet and reply in order to motivate people to use the service differently. https://t.co/eFIlPwwNwO
— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) November 7, 2019
To use the service differently how?
Among the first experiments: suggesting you use an emoji in a reply. If you pick a negative emoji, it will prompt "Why do you disagree?" Civil conversation > flame wars.
— Alex Kantrowitz (@Kantrowitz) November 7, 2019
Seriously? A negative emoji will result in a prompt asking why you disagree?
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) November 7, 2019
Twitter knows we treat each other terribly on Twitter. We dunk, ridiculing friends and strangers via quote-tweets. We ratio, piling on replies to bad tweets. We retweet without a second thought, spreading outrage and misinformation at warp speed.
But within the next two weeks, Twitter will debut a series of experiments meant to calm us down — subtly motivating us to use the quote-tweet, reply, and retweet in nondestructive ways.
…
In the second experiment, Twitter will automatically suggest people use an emoji in their replies. If you like something, you could use the heart-eyes emoji. If you don’t, you could use the red circle with a line going through it. But if you pick a negative emoji, Twitter will ask, “Why do you disagree?” — which it hopes will prompt a more thoughtful reply, rather than a flame war.
But Twitter is where we come for flame wars.
LMFAO
what a little bitch move https://t.co/H7icK1eZ13
— Malak Kobbe (@Malak_Kobbe) November 7, 2019
Bold move by Twitter, trying to kill Twitter and all https://t.co/MxiXD1jonv
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) November 7, 2019
the dunk, the ratio and the own IS Twitter
there is nothing without those
— Gianbattista (@gbtiepolo1) November 7, 2019
This is communism https://t.co/tPsiZtJkuq
— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) November 7, 2019
? Ah, so the experiment is on us, twitter users.
They want to see how much they can change us.
Rich, pretentious, and tone deaf.
Also, superficial and naïve (see? I used a positive emoji). https://t.co/lmZ12B9PiI
— victor zambrano (@argonaut) November 7, 2019
This is collective punishment for the large percentage of Twitter users who aren’t flamers, bots, or rampant abusers. https://t.co/zdFX8Q2fbA
— Bec (@beccanalia) November 7, 2019
I’ll hazard a guess that the new Twitter “features” will be rolled out prior to the 2020 US Presidential Elections.
— Jim (@jimyiapanis) November 7, 2019
Every Twitter user should begin to ratio jack on evey tweet he does.
— Oddhumantomost? (@oddhumantomost) November 7, 2019
Well this looks perfectly horrible. pic.twitter.com/u9IJrpv5aC
— Bob Richards (@BobRichards57) November 7, 2019
What could go wrong
— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) November 7, 2019
the ONLY reason to hang out on @Twitter is for the ratios
— Rani ~ Science Skeptic ? (@MilitaryRosary) November 7, 2019
Dunks are this site’s sole redeeming quality tho
— Amey Trees is 200 haunted moths in an overcoat?? (@k_morrissey) November 7, 2019
If people aren’t getting dunked on and ratioed, is it really Twitter?
— Jeremy Bell (@thejeremybell) November 7, 2019
…. this better get ratio’d
— James Virant (@jdvirant) November 7, 2019
— Bill Denbrough (@BDenbrough) November 7, 2019
WTF? They trying to drive people away from this site? Clowns.
— Scott Michael (@scottatron17) November 7, 2019
— maybe: ricci (@ricci_sergienko) November 7, 2019
— Ozark Finesse Guy (probably) (@OzarkFinesseGuy) November 7, 2019
The ratio is the only thing that makes this hellsite tolerable so of course Jack won’t want to let the proles talk back to their betters anymore
— H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Smash Mouth (@flintlocklaser) November 7, 2019
The ratio is the only good thing about Twitter.
— C.A.Smith1964 (@Smith1964A) November 7, 2019
— Farris Hopkins (@farrishopkins) November 7, 2019
— KMW™ (@KMUallas) November 7, 2019
Literally none of these is a problem.
— Spider-Ken (@SpiderKenX) November 7, 2019
— Joel (@Jamisen) November 7, 2019
Edit button.
That’s all we really want. Why come out with all this nonsensical control freak shit, and not the one thing people have wanted for years?
— Thistle Blower. (@somethi79963647) November 7, 2019
Because Jack just wants Twitter to be a platform for civil conversation, that’s all. And he apparently wants to ruin Twitter.
Related:
'You may not… ': Here is the complete list of @Twitter's updated rules to 'ensure all people can participate in the public conversation freely and safely' https://t.co/P79lPJuZzf
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 6, 2019
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