While we may love the way Twitter keeps us up to date on the latest breaking news, views and very important cat gifs, the social media site also has a major troll problem . Twitter users, in particular women, are often subject to serious levels of abuse on the platform.
The growing problem sees no signs of slowing down, and for users in the firing line there is very little they can do to stop it. Until now that is. This week, Twitter announced policy changes to tackle safety on the site as well as the launch of a new mute function.
Much like the Instagram censorship used by Taylor Swift earlier this year, the mute function will allow Twitter users to prevent certain words or phrases appearing in their notifications. This will mean that Tweeters will be able to stop seeing abusive or hateful messages they might be receiving. You can also block specific user names or conversation to stop seeing what specific trolls might be writing.
Turning on this function couldn't be easier - you can access the muted words tab in the settings section of Twitter.
While this new system may not tackle the heart of the problem (the trolls themselves), Twitter is now making it easier to report these abusers. The social media giant have implemented new internal tools in terms of reporting, and retrained the support teams to improve the way they deal with complaints.
Hopefully this is a step in right direction for making Twitter a safer space for all.
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