Twitter is working on a feature that will enable users to create their own GIFs. The platform's also working on a method that allows users to flag photos as sensitive while composing tweets.
The ability to create GIFs was noted in a pair of screenshots uploaded by social media journalist Alessandro Paluzzi. Essentially, by utilizing the in-app camera that Twitter has, users can now create short, soundless clips of their own. GIFs are incredibly popular on Twitter, being commonly used as reaction images, evoking the likes of memes. It is their very popular usage within the general community that has led to Twitter's introducing this feature, allowing that very community to generate such content of their own. The feature itself can be found by scrolling along the features typically found on the bottom of the in-app camera. The community's reaction to this is still in the air, but only after its widespread application will we able to judge the aftermath.
The other feature introduced by Twitter has to do with users flagging their own photos as sensitive or otherwise. Typically, when a sensitive picture is uploaded alongside a tweet, Twitter itself will end up flagging it, without allowing users any agency in doing so themselves. This action, at the very least, allows users to make the move themselves. The general community's reaction to this, however, is difficult to gauge. While Twitter is definitely more lenient about sensitive content than its fellow competitors, such as Instagram or Facebook, its community has still voiced displeasure over how much unnecessary censorship occurs. At any rate, the news about this update was revealed by social media researcher, serial leaker, and all-around expert Jane ManchunWong.
These updates aren't all incorporated. They're currently undergoing limited beta testing, with screening shots having been obtained either via A/B testing, or being leaked by the select few individuals chosen to test them out. Either way, it'll be a short while until we see these pictures again. Twitter likes taking it's time when it comes to testing out features, as shown by how Threaded replies took a year to test. However, minor interface updates such as this should start widely rolling out in a few months.
Read next: Twitter finally rolls out Super Follows with a variety of subscription choices
The ability to create GIFs was noted in a pair of screenshots uploaded by social media journalist Alessandro Paluzzi. Essentially, by utilizing the in-app camera that Twitter has, users can now create short, soundless clips of their own. GIFs are incredibly popular on Twitter, being commonly used as reaction images, evoking the likes of memes. It is their very popular usage within the general community that has led to Twitter's introducing this feature, allowing that very community to generate such content of their own. The feature itself can be found by scrolling along the features typically found on the bottom of the in-app camera. The community's reaction to this is still in the air, but only after its widespread application will we able to judge the aftermath.
The other feature introduced by Twitter has to do with users flagging their own photos as sensitive or otherwise. Typically, when a sensitive picture is uploaded alongside a tweet, Twitter itself will end up flagging it, without allowing users any agency in doing so themselves. This action, at the very least, allows users to make the move themselves. The general community's reaction to this, however, is difficult to gauge. While Twitter is definitely more lenient about sensitive content than its fellow competitors, such as Instagram or Facebook, its community has still voiced displeasure over how much unnecessary censorship occurs. At any rate, the news about this update was revealed by social media researcher, serial leaker, and all-around expert Jane ManchunWong.
Twitter is working letting users manually flag a photo as sensitive while composing the tweet pic.twitter.com/vdkOj7P1vH
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 1, 2021
These updates aren't all incorporated. They're currently undergoing limited beta testing, with screening shots having been obtained either via A/B testing, or being leaked by the select few individuals chosen to test them out. Either way, it'll be a short while until we see these pictures again. Twitter likes taking it's time when it comes to testing out features, as shown by how Threaded replies took a year to test. However, minor interface updates such as this should start widely rolling out in a few months.
Read next: Twitter finally rolls out Super Follows with a variety of subscription choices
