Twitter to Users: ‘You Have Things in Common’

Android users replying to someone they don’t follow or engage with may see a prompt called, “You have things in common,” that lists things like topics both people follow or mutual connections.

The social network refers to the new feature as humanization prompts, and senior product manager for conversations Christine Su said in a statement, “It’s human nature to feel wary when replying to someone you don’t know. In the heat of the moment, people can forget that there’s another human behind a Twitter account. By showing what we have in common, we hope to remind people of what connects us as a starting point.”

The test is part of Twitter’s continuing efforts to improve the health of conversation on its platform, and the social network will consider expanding it if sees fewer toxic replies and more thoughtful, more human connections.