The American microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, has recently announced that it is exploring a new way to send DMs on iOS. It involves letting users slide into your inbox through a link on your tweets, bypassing the DM button on your profile.
With this development, private message conversations can now be initiated simply by clicking on the newly introduced DM button in individual tweets, thanks to the new system.
While Twitter claims that the move will make it easier to initiate conversations, some argue that the new tool will undoubtedly be used to harass people.
While sending direct messages to Twitter users has always been a difficult chore, the system being tested now allows users to reach the DM button without having to log in to their profile. Every tweet now has a DM option, allowing anyone a quick and easy way to contact someone.
Twitter DM is a terrible idea
According to a common complaint, trolls and abusers are likely to utilize it to convey unwelcome messages.
On the other hand, Twitter refuses to back down, blaming users and claiming that there are options in the system that may be used to limit the transmission of DM messages.
However, several Twitter users have lamented that the direct DM test is a terrible idea.
As public defender Eliza Orlins puts out, offering a shortcut to your DMs could render users even more vulnerable to harassment. Instead of needing to go to your profile to access your inbox, users can send a private message without ever leaving the timeline.
It’s difficult to say who this tool might help – close friends would want a quick way to DM each other, but I believe most people are happily sending a message to a friend’s Twitter profile or simply continuing an existing chat from their email.
Giving users a shortcut to a person’s private messages could lead to a slew of issues. Because Twitter recognizes that unpleasant DMs can be an issue, it launched a tool in 2019 that automatically filters out abusive DMs.
While Twitter did launch a Messenger-style pop-up tab on the web in 2020, it makes sense since, unlike the new DM button, it doesn’t provide you a shortcut to DM someone in direct reaction to a tweet; instead, it allows you to choose from your current conversations.
Twitter React
Speaking about the new Direct Message Twitter spokesperson, Charlotte Catania said:
“This particular experiment is not changing the current settings of anyone’s DMs,”
“We’re always exploring ways to make DMs more accessible and valuable for people on Twitter, and they will always remain in control: anyone has the ability to close their DMs in their settings.” He added.
