3 ways Twitter reinvented Filipinos’ online conversation in 2020

December 25, 2020 - 5:27 PM
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Twitter
(Image by from Pixabay by Edar)

Twitter was one of the platforms that leveled up the way how Filipinos can engage in conversations online this year with the roll-up of its new features.

Among the features that made the most online buzz was Fleets which enabled users to share texts, reactions to tweets, photos and videos under a 24-hour window.

It was created to help “people feel more comfortable joining the conversation.”

“We saw people with Fleets talk more on Twitter. Those new to Twitter found Fleets to be an easier way to share what’s on their mind. Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings,” the platform said before.

Twitter acknowledged that the new feature was “familiar” to social media users and explained that some people “feel more comfortable joining conversations” with the ephemeral format since it is a “lower pressure way” for them to talk about what’s happening.

With the introduction of fleets, however, the desire to release an “edit” option in the microblogging platform was once again talked about.

RELATED: Story but no edit? Twitter users bring up edit feature request as platform introduces ‘Fleets’

Meanwhile, Filipino users managed to share recordings of themselves on the platform.

Twitter rolled out voice tweets this year which enabled people to “add a human touch” in the way they connect to their friends.

Users can record themselves for 140 seconds and participate in a “more human experience” as they share their perspectives quickly and easily with their voices.

“There’s a lot that can be left unsaid or uninterpreted using text, so we hope voice Tweeting will create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike,” the platform said before.

Apart from that, Filipinos also enjoyed having more control with their initiated conversations as Twitter likewise revealed ways on how to limit replies from everyone.

Last August, additional features were made to prevent users from reading unwanted comments such as spam and hateful replies. It gave them more freedom in controlling their spaces as users practice their freedom of expression.

Users have the option to select whether they want everyone to reply, or allow only those they follow or those they have only mentioned to reply to their tweets.

“These settings help some people feel safer and could lead to more meaningful conversations, while still allowing people to see different points of view,” Twitter said.

Another feature that the platform introduced this year was “Quote Tweets,” where users can see fuller conversations about the topic from different people and the “read before retweeting” prompt which encourages the public to read an article link before sharing it.