Twitter is reportedly jumping on the trend to provide its users with information that’s more likely to be useful through the introduction of a feature which shows users live broadcasts of their local news during significant events. In fact, the feature has already completely rolled out across its entire platform. According to a statement made by the company’s video GM, Kayvon Beykpour, the new feature is part of a wider effort to give users credible information that is relevant to their own lives in order to keep people informed.
Beyond simply showing users the news, the feature also incorporates the social network’s own algorithms in order to provide insights about the news through select comments and tweets associated with the story. Users simply need to click on a given video and they’ll be taken to a custom page which features the usual discussion below the video and another stream of comments off to the side. The main commentary will work as it always does on the platform for any Tweet. The secondary stream will be those selected by algorithms. A possible reason behind the decision to include both appears to be so that users have access to the breaking story as comments roll through from both prominent users and the average populace. That would help users to better gauge the current sentiments surrounding a given story, as well as allowing for discussion about the facts surrounding an event. The format won’t necessarily help stem the flow of misinformation which has become so commonly associated with social media platforms, but it will give users an easy way to see the narrative of a story as it develops.
Unfortunately, Twitter didn’t clarify whether or not its new feature also appears in its mobile application. Having said that, it may be reasonable to assume that it has since the company did say the implementation applies to its entire platform. However, that doesn’t mean that every user is going to have access since whether or not the feature shows up is going to depend largely on their location and where Twitter has managed to broker a partnership with a given area’s news stations. With any luck, the company will manage to forge more partnerships over the coming month, allowing even more users to access it.