Testing: Twitter emoji reactions, Discover Lists, & more

Twitter has been testing including more reactions for Tweets to express more emotions, a way to discover new Lists from verified outlets and Twitter Moments, and more.

The Twitter updates have not been rolled out on the full scale, and are currently in the testing phase. The launch of these features would depend on how the tests turn out.

Emoji Reactions

Twitter is testing new emoji reactions with more ways to express emotions. Presently, the platform only has the option to like a Tweet. Twitter was also testing more reactions back in 2015.

Suzanne Xie, Director of Product Management, confirmed the tests and mentioned this had come up last year and is an option to Quote Tweet with a reaction, instead of a Retweet.

Users in this thread do not seem to like this feature. They have also mentioned that Twitter is seemingly becoming more like Facebook with these reactions. The platform recently also introduced Stories in India.

Moreover, emoji reactions for Quote Tweet seem to lack functionality, as any user quoting a Tweet can insert an emoji through their keyboard where they would also have more options of emojis to choose from.

Also Read: Expert Speak: Twitter Fleets and its value in social media mix

Discover Lists

Twitter is testing a new way for users to discover Lists. In this test, the suggested Lists primarily seem to consist of Lists from verified accounts and created by Twitter Moments.

Recently, Twitter was also testing renaming Lists to Channels. Twitter Lists has gone through several tweaks and updates, such as being swipeable through the Home Feed, improved shareability, suggestions based on Lists, and Pinned Lists.

When a user follows a list, they will only see Tweets and information based on the specified Topic of the List, the suggested Lists from verified accounts might be a step to keep misinformation at the bay.

Prompt

Twitter is testing a new feature on Android, that would prompt users to open an unopened article before retweeting it.

Users often come to Twitter, to get daily updates of real-world happenings, and several journalists and publishers use the platform to distribute news articles.

But often, misinformation circulates, and known publications too knowingly or unknowingly put out non-verified pieces, often with a misleading headline.

The prompt is intended to direct users to only share the articles they've read. As the article can often turn out to be different than the headline. The platform says the step taken is to promote informed discussion, as such pieces may lead to hazardous real-world consequences.