On Friday, Twitter outlined a number of measures ahead of the U.S. election. Among the changes, starting October 20 users will be encouraged to quote tweet instead of retweet and to add their own commentary. The company hopes this âwill encourage everyone to not only consider why they are amplifying a Tweet, but also increase the likelihood that people add their own thoughts, reactions and perspectives to the conversation.â It will also stop the algorithm that serves up âliked byâ and âfollowed byâ tweets from people that users follow. That system expands the content users see beyond their own networks, but the company says it doesnât think there is enough friction in hitting the Like button to warrant that extra amplification. The changes also include new prompts when users start to retweet or quote tweet misleading information, and in the U.S. trends in the âFor Youâ tab will all have added context. Why we care. These changes â and those announced by Facebook last week â speak to the ongoing role of these platforms in the spread of election information and misinformation. Brand safety and suitability have been top-of-mind for marketersâ concerns about content on these platforms â cesspools of hate and misinformation are not great places for most brands to be. While these changes are aimed at protecting election health, for marketers, there is the added aim of making them safer brand environments. |