Twitter tests a new warning about the 'vibe of a conversation'

Twitter is testing out a new prompt to warn users when a conversation they're looking to join in on may have a bad "vibe."

The social media platform said Wednesday it's testing prompts on both Android and iOS that provide "a heads up if the convo you're about to enter could get heated or intense," a feature aimed at users looking to "know the vibe of a conversation before you join in." In an example provided, a tweet has a prompt below the reply button that warns, "Conversations like this can be intense." Before users reply to it, Twitter urges them to "remember the human" and reminds them to check their facts and that "diverse perspectives have value."

Twitter, which has long faced calls to take greater action to crack down on abuse, rolled out a similar prompt earlier this year asking users if they want to reconsider sending replies that might have "harmful or offensive" language. With that prompt, users are given the option to delete the reply, edit it, or send it anyway. The company said that during a test, 34 percent of people who got this prompt ended up either revising the reply or decided not to send it. Twitter also previously rolled out another prompt encouraging users not to retweet articles they haven't read, reminding them that "headlines don't tell the full story," The Verge notes.

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In response to a user who asked how it will determine what tweets might spark a "heated or intense" conversation, Twitter said this criteria could "change as we learn from this test" and that it may consider the topic and the relationship between the author and the user replying. The company acknowledged, though, that "it's an early test, so we may not get it right every time."