If You've Ever Dealt With Harassment on Twitter, You Need to Know About the Mute Button
Written by McKenzie Maxson on November 16, 2016
Celebs deal with a lot of haters, but social media makes it way too easy for vicious trolls to harass everyday people too. Finally, Twitter is doing something about it with the launch of the mute button.
Here's how it works: Next time you come across a troll, hit the little carrot on the right side of the tweet (it's the ellipses next to the like button on desktop), and you'll have the option to mute that account. If you mute a user but choose to continue following them, they'll still pop up in your notifications when they mention you in a tweet. If you don't follow them, they'll disappear from your feed entirely. You can also filter out triggering hashtags and keywords. You'll find "muted words" as a new option when you go into settings and toggle to the notifications tab. Add the words or phrases you don't want to see, hit save, and boom, they're gone from your feed.
For people who deal with abusive comments online (from racism to fat shaming to sexual harassment), this feature could make Twitter a much safer space. But the mute button doesn't actually stop the trolls, it hides them. The pervasiveness of hate speech is arguably a bigger issue we need to tackle as a society.
Why I Don't Look at My Mirror When I Do Skin Care
The Only Way to Use Vaseline on Chapped Lips
Secrets Are Bad for Your Health — Here's Why
This Is What an All-Nighter Does to Your Body
Why You Feel Groggy After a Nap — and 4 Ways to Snooze Like a Pro
Despite how overwhelming skin care routines can appear, these cleansing rituals actually bring about benefits beyond glowing skin and reducing problem…
We're all familiar with this thick jelly (probably because it's pretty affordable and widely available) — but how does it stack up to all the noisy…
Sometimes, life feels like a game of truth or consequences. As much as we'd like for heavy secrets or unpleasant truths to just go away — they…
Medically reviewed by Daniel Bubnis, MS, NASM-CPT, NASE Level II-CSS
At some point, most of us have pulled an all-nighter (hard to get through college without it). You catch up on sleep the next day/week/month and…
Ever laid down for a quick 45-minute nap, only to wake up hours later feeling fuzzy and groggy? Naps are touted as a great way to recharge — so what…
6 Badass Beauty Ingredients for the Best Skin of Your Life
When it comes to the confusing, crowded world of skin care, what truly works? An esthetician weighs in on six science-backed ingredients that are true…
The Dirty (and Not so Dirty) Dozen of Beauty
When it comes to the chemicals we put on our skin, hair, and nails, it's practically anarchy out there. How can we tell whether the products we use…
I Tried A Crystal Dildo... and It Wasn't *Not* Magical
When you shell out nearly $200 for a sex toy, you expect something great. Crystal dildos may not come cheap, but are they worth the price?
I Learned the Hard Way That Weight Loss Surgery Isn't a Fix — It's a Tool
What's it really like to have weight loss surgery? One woman shares her 10-year journey — from the decision to undergo a gastric bypass to the long…
Does Facial Fitness Work — or Are There Better Ways to Spend Your Money?
For years, people have been trying to roll, buff, and brush their way to better skin — but maybe that's not enough. Enter: Facial fitness. The rising…