Twitter’s swipe-up video feature exposed many users to violent videos this week after owner Elon Musk promoted the function.
The feature, which acts similarly to TikTok’s “swipe up to see more” system, lets users browse a video feed separate from their normal Twitter feed.
The feature was introduced in October before Mr. Musk took ownership of the company. The swipe-up does not yet have an official name.
Mr. Musk promoted it Sunday by tweeting, “Just swipe up to see the next video.”
Many users pointed out the disturbing videos that the algorithm showed them.
Two of the most prominent themes in the videos involved vaccines and violence. Several videos of street fights, deadly car crashes, police brutality and racially motivated violence showed up on users’ video feeds once they started accessing the feature. Many noted the disturbing content was juxtaposed with videos of cute animals.
“I love to swipe up from a twitter video I’m watching and immediately see a brutal murder in the next one,” one user replied to Mr. Musk.
Mr. Musk acknowledged the issue with the video algorithm soon after promoting the feature.
“Some of the videos are indeed quite edgy,” he tweeted.
The deluge of disturbing content is further evidence of mounting issues with moderation on Twitter. Graphic content, like the content in some of the featured videos, is technically prohibited under Twitter’s terms of service.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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