Twitter Is Indeed Working On A ‘Hide Tweet’ Feature

Speculations around Twitter’s updates previously indicated that the social media service is developing features to improve user experience. Twitter has now confirmed that it is working on a new ‘Hide Tweets’ feature, which will help users to hide replies on their respective tweets. This will provide users with more control of their conversations, Twitter says. 

About The Feature

The option was first spotted in Twitter’s code and can be accessed from the list of moderation options by clicking on the ‘Share’ button, from what has been spotted so far. As per reports, the Share button has been given an overhaul as well. The ‘Hide Tweet’ button will act as a better alternative to muting or blocking the user.

Similarly, an option to ‘View Hidden Tweets’ was also spotted, which indicates that the feature will work in a similar manner to Facebook’s ‘View Edit History’ option. The ‘View Hidden Tweets’ button will allow users to ‘unhide’ the tweets that were hidden in the first place by the Original Poster. This feature will ensure that the chain of information is not entirely broken by the introduction of such a feature.

The Cons

Concerns arose on Twitter regarding the fact that this option will lead to users hiding obnoxious tweets. For instance, a user might get a different idea while reading a tweet if some of the replies are missing/hidden. People also said that controversial politicians can just hide tweets that they find outrageous or unacceptable. Unless a user actually clicks on the ‘View Hidden Tweets’ button, he/she might miss out on critical parts of the conversation.

The Pros

The positive aspects of integrating such an update are intended towards putting the user in control of his tweets. In a ‘toxic social media era’ where hate provoking comments can be found on almost every post, moderating the replies could impact user growth for the better purpose. It could also encourage people to debate or argue in a more ‘docile’ manner knowing that their tweets can be hidden any time.

Also Read: Twitter May Soon Add “Quick Peek” Feature On iOS And Android

Twitter Senior PM said that the ‘Tweet transparency’ feature will lead to a  healthier Twitter community, where users can actually call out situations where hiding tweets become necessary. Twitter plans to test out this feature publicly in the coming months. The feature may roll out with some pending updates such as a ‘clarifying feature’, which allows users to explain the context of their old tweets.