Twitter has a fix for its news problem—make a new Twitter!

 

Last week, Facebook waffled yet again about which #content people want to see on Facebook. Cue the launch of a new feature that lets publishers label one breaking news story a day.

With Facebook experimenting with breaking news, it seems only fitting that Twitter would do the same. The company is now testing algorithmically delivered timelines for news events, BuzzFeed reports. On Wednesday, Twitter tested timelines on Stephen Hawking’s death and the special election in Pennsylvania, according to BuzzFeed, and each timeline included tweets from both news organizations and regular Twitter users. The curated timelines will appear at the top of a user’s regular timeline during breaking news events.

If nothing else, the move could be a way for Twitter to capitalize on Facebook’s noncommittal attitude regarding news content (in no small part due to its struggles with fake news and misinformation). If this feature can mirror the experience of being on Twitter as news surfaces—say, during presidential debates or the Oscars—it could add a meaningful dimension to the platform.

But that may depend on how the algorithms fare.

 

Fast Company , Read Full Story

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