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<\/p>\nTwitter is testing a new tag that will make it easier to parse who started a thread. The new feature, which is starting to pop up for some users, makes it easier to find posts from the original tweeter within a thread, but may also help curb (some types of) abuse on the platform, making it easier to distinguish accounts that are masquerading as other tweeters, for instance.<\/p>\n
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Twitter confirmed the experiment to TechCrunch, noting that the tag has been rolled out to a \u201csmall percentage\u201d of iOS and Android users across markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwitter\u2019s purpose is to serve the public conversation. As part of this work, we\u2019re exploring adding more context to discussions by highlighting relevant replies \u2013 like those from the original Tweeter,\u201d Twitter\u2019s\u00a0Director of Product Management\u00a0Sara Haider told TechCrunch in a statement.<\/p>\n
In practice, this will probably be most helpful for situations like distinguishing Elon Musk from the Ethereum-hocking false copies popping up below him, ensuring that users don\u2019t have to read every character of a user\u2019s handle before they can tell if it\u2019s trusted information.<\/p>\n
This solution obviously only helps users distinguish the \u201cowner\u201d of the thread they are viewing, but it\u2019s a worthwhile start. As the company verifies more accounts but still allows users to easily change their names or profile pictures, this could avert some imitation issues.<\/p>\n
One wonders if they could have more easily distinguished the \u201cOriginal Tweeter\u201d in a more pretty way than by spelling out \u201cOriginal Tweeter\u201d beneath their handle, but it\u2019s a small rollout and I guess it leaves very little room for interpretation, so whatever.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s certainly a small change, but it all plays back into Twitter\u2019s more drastic (beta) plans<\/a> to introduce changes like color-coded replies that give users more prominent interface cues to gather insights about the threads that they\u2019re surfing through.<\/p>\n The same beta app also introduces features like algorithmically sorted replies and a generally more toned-down UI.<\/p>\n “Original Tweeter, ” huh? I guess that’s how they’ll fix this thing. pic.twitter.com\/LwRkr4T5QS<\/a><\/p>\n\n