Managing misuse and abuse on Twitter is going to get significantly simpler. Twitter is reportedly testing a new feature that allows users to hide replies to their own tweets, reducing the visibility of said tweet.
https://twitter.com/TwitterCanada/status/1149327628106641408
Twitter is introducing the new feature in response to “distracting, irrelevant, and offensive replies,” which can get in the way of a good and friendly discussion. Posting on the Twitter blog, senior product manager Michelle Yasmeen Haq and product designer Brittany Forks, explain that, “We believe people should have some control over the conversations they start. So we’re going to test a new feature that gives people the option to hide replies to their Tweets.”
To hide a reply all you need to do is simply tap the down arrow on the unwanted reply and then select “Hide Reply” from the options. It will then disappear from the conversation for everyone else who tries viewing it. However, the replies are only hidden and not deleted. Anyone can tap the new icon that appears in the bottom right hand corner of the original tweet and choose to see all hidden replies if they so wish.
Twitter is testing out this new feature in Canada first. And the, depending on how the rollout goes and the response it gets there, it may expand to other countries later, or be expelled. For now it is just a test.