Twitter wants to know what you think of its rules not applying to world leaders
During his four years in the White House, Donald Trump got away with things on Twitter that would've earned most users multiple suspensions, if not an outright ban. Now, the social media platform wants to know what you thought of that.
Twitter is running a survey from March 19 through April 12 that seeks input from people who have thoughts and opinions about the platform's hands-off policy around world leaders. So if you didn't and still don't care for the double-standard Twitter applies to political leaders, this is your chance to say so in a way that matters.
"Twitter wants your input on how we should shape our policies and enforce our rules about world leaders' participation in the public conversation," the survey's introduction reads. "Your opinions will be used to help us define this policy and future iterations."
You can find it right here.
The survey lays out a series of randomly generated scenarios, with elements such as the problematic thing said (such as an ethnic slur or COVID-19 misinformation) and the number of prior offenses changing from scenario to scenario. Each one asks users to choose which response they'd prefer from a set of fixed choices.
After a few scenarios like the one above, the survey switches gears to ask a series of questions about how world leaders should be held accountable for bad behavior, including if permanent suspension should be a possibility and what circumstances would lead to that result. Participants also have an opportunity to write feedback directly, but note there's a 1,000-character limit on any response.
This is one of those rare product surveys that might actually be worth your time. Especially if you've been troubled at any point in the past four years over Twitter's lack of action as Trump repeatedly flouted the platform's policies.
The fact is, there are easy links to be drawn between Trump's provocative Twitter presence since 2015 especially and the horrific scene that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. For whatever the courts eventually have to say about the role he played in nurturing an attempted insurrection, the evidence that his words and actions in preceding years radicalized supporters is painfully clear.
The actual shape of how a platform like Twitter responds now, in the aftermath of such a brutal lesson as Jan. 6, remains to be seen. But at least the company is (apparently) giving users a voice in guiding those decisions.
Related Video: How to know if you (or Donald Trump) violated the First Amendment
Topics Social Media X/Twitter
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
