Twitter wants to make itself less toxic, partners with Oxford

Twitter has been a toxic hell stew for years now, but after increasing backlash, the firm has acted to make itself more palatable to users.

Twitter is working with university researchers to investigate how echo chambers and uncivil discourse can come to dominate a platform. Twitter will, in turn, look at how algorithms can be developed to regard civil discourse and reduce the visibility of uncivil discourse i.e impolite or intolerant discourse.

“In the context of growing political polarization, the spread of misinformation, and increases in incivility and intolerance, it is clear that if we are going to effectively evaluate and address some of the most difficult challenges arising on social media, academic researchers and tech companies will need to work together much more closely,” Leiden University’s Dr. Rebekah Tromble said.

Alongside Leiden University, Oxford researchers will also join the initiative and investigate how they can ensure the social networking site becomes a, safer less discriminatory online space.

Source: Engadget.