In order to battle with increasing hoaxes, fake news, and misinformation on its platform, Twitter has launched a community named ‘Birdwatch’. ‘Birdwatch’ is actually a community-based forum where Twitter users can spot misinformation and add necessary context to it. It will allow users to proactively handle a misleading post by reporting it and adding notes on it.
How Does Twitter ‘Birdwatch’ Work?
According to Twitter, this new approach to handle misinformation will be helpful as people in this community will have the potential to take necessary steps against them.
Like other social network platforms, Twitter has been fighting against the spread of fake news. It marks, reports, and labels a post that is misleading or harmful. There have been controversies regarding expelling Donald Trump from the app for circulating misleading information and provoking violence on the Capitol insurrection. But in spite of enabling fact-checkers, Twitter has planned a community forum.
According to Keith Coleman, the Vice President of the product, there are many challenges to establish a well-built effective community forum like that. There can be challenges like manipulation of information and saving it from the domination of biased community members.
A tweet that displays how ‘Birdwatch’ is going to work demonstrates how a particular backdated post has been reported as misleading and false by the users. The platform plans to make the notes posted by the community members visible on the discussed tweet. ‘Birdwatch’ Community will set its audience as ‘public’ for effectiveness and transparency.
The idea of the ‘Birdwatch’ community is being considered as an innovative one but how effective it will turn out is yet to see.
