Twitter Now Testing Setting for Limiting Who Can Reply to Tweets

[MacRumors]

Twitter today announced that it has started testing new conversation settings that were first outlined earlier this year at CES.

A "Conversation Participants" option in the window where a tweet is composed will allow users to select who can reply to a tweet. Options include everyone, people you follow, and only people you mention.

The "everyone" represents how Twitter traditionally works and it's the default setting that's selected, while the other two options will limit replies. Tweets that have limited replies will be labeled and the reply icon will be grayed out so it's clear to people that they're unable to reply.

Even when replies are limited to followers or people mentioned in a tweet, people unable to reply will be able to view, Retweet, Retweet with Comment, and like the tweets.

Being able to participate and understand what's happening is key for useful public conversation. So, we're exploring how we can improve these settings to give people more opportunities to weigh in while still giving people control over the conversations they start.

One thing we know for sure is that you'll be creative with this update. Maybe you'll host a debate on the benefits of pineapple on pizza (#TeamPineapple) with fellow pizza pals or invite a panel of distinguished guests for a fireside chat. You could even play a game of tic-tac-toe for people to follow along without messing up your moves. We're excited to see what you do!

Twitter says that the feature is rolling out to a limited group of people globally on Twitter for iOS, Android, and twitter.com, and only those with the setting available will be able to tweet using the new options. Should the test prove successful, the feature will roll out to everyone.

Article Link: Twitter Now Testing Setting for Limiting Who Can Reply to Tweets

 

[PO2345]

Public DM's? I'm good.

 

[wesleypitts]

Will there be an option for "Only Russian bots"?

 

[jdclifford]

If I can't reply to someone's tweet what's the point of using twitter?

 

[newyorksole]

I wonder if you can change this after the tweet is sent.

Also, Twitter is so confusing to me now Lol. I use TweetBot 95% of the time.

 

[Rogifan]

I saw a tweet in my timeline the other day that said the band Phish was overrated. No one was allowed to reply. So everyone just quote tweeted what a bad take it was. 😂

 

[iBluetooth]

I would like to know how I can turn off "Recommended For You" and also stop from changing my latest tweet settings to "top" tweets setting.

 

[blairh]

I have no idea how this hasn't been an option all along. They should have a setting where no one can reply.

 

[calzon65]

I can see this could reduce traffic on Twitter's network and maybe there are some other benefits, but I can also see some truly deranged lunatics spreading what some might consider lies or disinformation to then have the author limit rebuttals (replies).

To me one of the foundations of Twitter is you put your comment out there and hope it can stand up to scrutiny. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I hope it does not hurt more than it might help.

 

[now i see it]

Still want nothing to do with it

 

[Gorms]

This looks like a good first start to me. The only downside is you may limit quality responses, but for the people that need to use these limitations, this may go a ways to easing a problem. Like wesleypitts above me said though, I'd like to see further options, maybe allowing for verified users as well as followed users, and if they can filter it, no bots, but am aware that is a much tougher ask. Although a private internal quality score attached to a profile should be easy to generate based on a lot of that data they already hold on every user i.e. sentiment analysis, posting methods, whether the user actually tweets or just retweets/only replies. Allow a user to limit replies from accounts that hit a certain percentile on that, that'd do.

Mind you in saying this might help a problem, it probably won't, trolls and bots will just change their tactics and it'll just increase DM abuse with no one in the public timeline to back up the OP.

 

[wesleypitts]

To me one of the foundations of Twitter is you put your comment out there and hope it can stand up to scrutiny. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I hope it does not hurt more than it might help.

This is precisely the problem with this, in the context of what Twitter has been as a platform. I see it as especially problematic when it comes to elected officials who use the platform as a megaphone. If they're able to essentially silence all opposing viewpoints by limiting responders to their selected friends, that's not great.

 

[AdonisSMU]

This looks like a good first start to me. The only downside is you may limit quality responses, but for the people that need to use these limitations, this may go a ways to easing a problem. Like wesleypitts above me said though, I'd like to see further options, maybe allowing for verified users as well as followed users, and if they can filter it, no bots, but am aware that is a much tougher ask. Although a private internal quality score attached to a profile should be easy to generate based on a lot of that data they already hold on every user i.e. sentiment analysis, posting methods, whether the user actually tweets or just retweets/only replies. Allow a user to limit replies from accounts that hit a certain percentile on that, that'd do.

Mind you in saying this might help a problem, it probably won't, trolls and bots will just change their tactics and it'll just increase DM abuse with no one in the public timeline to back up the OP.

Yep why should only the wealthy and well connected folks get the blue check.

 

[beermode]

Celebrity and journalists blue checks crying about being ratio'd prompted this.

 

[seanmcbay]

This feature was created solely so butthurt celebrities and other people in power don’t have to see criticism, which is the single only good thing about Twitter.

 

[Paradoxally]

This is an excellent feature. People can still reply by quote tweeting to their network, but it doesn't appear under the original tweet polluting what was said.

 

[iReality85]

They should have a setting where no one can reply.

So why even use Twitter then?

Let’s just cut to the chase and say what this change is really about: allowing people to post about controversial topics (i.e. politics), and not have their feelings hurt that other people have different views than they do. It’ll prevent them from being challenged. It’ll also prevent them getting ratio’d. So if you thought the echo chamber was bad already, just wait. This is going to encourage all kinds of toxic s—t posting, increase tribalism, and spread fake news faster because dishonest people will know they can get away with it because they won’t be called out for it directly.

To a lesser extent, it’s also about curtailing bots and toxic behavior/replies, which is commendable.

 

[Rogifan]

This is an excellent feature. People can still reply by quote tweeting to their network, but it doesn't appear under the original tweet polluting what was said.

There are some who think Twitter should get rid of the quote tweet function because it just allows people to give snarky replies without having to engage with the person who sent the tweet. My timeline is mostly quote tweets so I don’t see Twitter ever getting rid of that functionality.

 

[compwiz1202]

If I can't reply to someone's tweet what's the point of using twitter?

I just think it skews the interpretation. If you only let #teampineapple respond, then that doesn't mean everyone like it. You just aren't allowing disagreements to have a voice. I definitely think there should be a way to not allow responses from people known to be abusive beyond the argument.

 

[cbusbuck]

Schneeflocken, снежинки, flocons de neige, copos de nieve, 雪片, and so on, but you get the idea behind this move.


❅❅❆❆❄︎❄︎ 🌨🌨🌨🌨🌨

 

[jonblatho]

They should have a setting where no one can reply.

This feature effectively allows that. If you tweet something without mentioning anyone, and choose the “only people you mention” option, then no one can reply.

 

[Johnny Steps]

It will be so amusing to see how stupidly this gets abused by people who do not want their viewpoints challenged.

 

[hspace]

This feature was created solely so butthurt celebrities and other people in power don’t have to see criticism, which is the single only good thing about Twitter.

Twitter does have many more uses than just responding to celebrities, though. And it won't be the default, so I'm sure there will still be celebrities post that you can pester.
[automerge]1590004490[/automerge]

 

[Tozovac]

So white, so flat, so plain, so amateurish-looking. Another unnecessary addition to Twitter wrapped up in a package of unnecessarily too-white flat design plastic surgery. Granted, the photos are pan-composites for Apple/Android but the point holds...

Like Instagram's many departures from its initial theme of sharing photos into the confusing realm of video, Your Story, advertisements, etc. to the point of sensory overload, so does Twitter keep muddying things rather unnecessarily in that quest to be "new" and "fresh."

 

[Rajani Isa]

I just think it skews the interpretation. If you only let #teampineapple respond, then that doesn't mean everyone like it. You just aren't allowing disagreements to have a voice. I definitely think there should be a way to not allow responses from people known to be abusive beyond the argument.

Not only that, it could also let people more easily run afoul of court rulings, like say a politician blocking people on their main "business" account has.