History
On October 6th, 2021, the official @TwitterSupport Twitter account posted, “Ever want to know the vibe of a conversation before you join in? We’re testing prompts on Android and iOS that give you a heads up if the convo you’re about to enter could get heated or intense. This is a work in progress as we learn how to better support healthy conversation.” The post gained over 3,000 likes and 2,900 retweets and includes screenshots of the disclaimer (shown below). The Verge reported on the new disclaimers on October 7th.
Heads up. Conversations like this can be intense. Don’t forget the human behind the screen.
On December 14th, 2021, more Twitter users began to notice the disclaimer underneath some tweets and call it out, specifically ones discussing politics. The disclaimer reads “Heads up. Conversations like this can be intense. Don’t forget the human behind the screen,” an attempt to stop Twitter users from harassing the tweet’s poster for their opinions. An early example of this is a tweet by @tomselliott sharing a video of White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying she doesn’t know anyone who is concerned about the national debt crisis. Twitter user @RonaldMcPaul commented on the post that day noting the disclaimer, simply writing, “Heads up Conversations like this can be intense. Don’t forget the human behind the screen.”