Twitter has a new way to make unwanted tweets go away -- kind of
Social network unveils new feature that lets users limit the tweets they see to only those sent by users they follow.
Don't like something some stranger is saying about you on Twitter? The social network has a solution.
Twitter launched a new feature on Thursday that allows users to limit the notifications they see to only those sent by users they follow. It doesn't prevent strangers from mentioning you; it just insulates users from being exposed to those tweets.
The new feature appears to be part of Twitter's attempt to address the chronic abuse and harassment that occurs daily on the social network. However, the move is little more than a band-aid since the offending tweets will still be present on the network -- you are just choosing not to see them.
Harassing and abusive tweets, while not a new occurrence on Twitter, have received increased scrutiny in recent years. Robin Williams' death in August 2014 led some Twitter users to send vicious messages to his daughter, prompting her to delete the app from her phone. In February 2015, writer Lindy West revealed that people had created a Twitter account in the name of her deceased father to make crude comments about her.