Twitter is testing a new feature that shames you into reading an article before tweeting it out

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We’re all guilty of it. Reading a headline that backs up our opinion and sharing it on Facebook and Twitter without actually reading the article in question. Well, now, Twitter is going to gently remind you to read the article before retweeting it if you are on Android.

Announced this week, Twitter is looking to “promote informed discussion” with this feature, but let’s be honest, do any of us think this will actually make a difference?

Sure, it’s a nice thought, and maybe that’s the point of it, but it will be interesting to see if it actually makes a difference. If Twitter can tell if you’ve clicked on a link or not, surely they could provide stats in the weeks ahead showing that the prompt works or doesn’t work.

Image: Consumer Reports

The feature is being tested on the Android app, with no immediate indication that it will expand the feature to iOS or web. Social companies do smaller tests like this all the time, with the tested features never seeing a wide rollout, so it’s possible this will be fazed out in the future.

Twitter has been in the news a lot recently, as the company is slowly taking a more pronounced stance on things like misinformation and hate speech – recently labeling tweets from Donald Trump with its misinformation label.

What do you think? Do you think this new feature from Twitter will actually make a difference? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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• Trump signs executive order aimed at social media companies like Twitter
• Facebook has no plans on fact-checking Trump because they are cowards

Josiah Motley

Former KnowTechie editor.