Twitter testing “Original Tweeter” feature to distinguish the source of a thread

Twitter has a new tag in the works that will make it easier to determine who the original tweeter was. This not only helps to identify the source of a thread but also prevents certain forms of abuse on the platform, especially identity theft.

The social media giant has confirmed that it has released the tag for a “small percentage” of iOS and Android users.

“Twitter’s purpose is to serve the public conversation. As part of this work, we’re exploring adding more context to discussions by highlighting relevant replies – like those from the original Tweeter,” said Sara Haider, Twitter’s Director of Product Management.

This tag will basically help users to distinguish the creator of the thread from the other tweeters. While this may sound like a trivial development at best, it does have an important role to play in ensuring that there are no cases of imitation on the platform and that there is no ambiguity with respect to who initiated the thread.

Furthermore, this is just one step in Twitter’s grand plan to revamp its interface for the purpose of better communication and interaction. A beta app is in the works which will have color-coded replies that will give users more information about the threads that they are going through. Other features include algorithmically sorted replies and a different UI.

The beta app will be used by Twitter to decide if these tests should be incorporated in a full-fledged product for its wider user base. So if everything goes according to plan, we should start seeing these features trickle down to the stable application over the coming few weeks.