This week, Twitter unveiled a new feature that helps its users flag NSFW content. Users are now able to give a “Content Warning” on pieces of media in their tweets, marking photos and videos as either “Violence, Nudity or Sensitive.” However, trolls and meme creators are not censoring raunchy content. Instead, many are using the feature for bait-and-switch purposes, blurring the dumbest of image macros in hopes that you’ll be gullible enough to click the “Show” button.
People use Twitter to discuss what’s happening in the world, which sometimes means sharing unsettling or sensitive content. We’re testing an option for some of you to add one-time warnings to photos and videos you Tweet out, to help those who might want the warning. pic.twitter.com/LCUA5QCoOV
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) December 7, 2021
The Twitter content warning was first hinted at on December 7th, 2021. The official account of Twitter Safety posted a tweet (shown above) that detailed the feature and how to use it. How does one mark a photo or video as sensitive on Twitter? All you have to do is, when adding a photo or video to a tweet, click the “Edit” button in the bottom right corner. From there, click the “Flag” button that’s a symbol of a waving flag. Then, you can either mark it as “Violence, Nudity or Sensetive.” After sending the tweet, the meme or video will be blurred. The viewer can only click “Show” and hope for the best.
It took a little while for Twitter users to notice the content warning option. It wasn’t until January 24th that they started using it, after one or two of them discovered the buried option when they the “Edit” button. Exponentially over the course of a day, users started blurring NSFW content. Most of it, however, wasn’t edgy at all. Instead, Twitter users took the opportunity to troll their unsuspecting followers. Over the course of the 25th and 26th, the average Twitter user’s timeline was flooded with blurred imagery.
While meddling with filters, I found that there are ‘flags’ or content warning like stuff you can add to pictures on mobile now! There’s only 3 category rn and it’s (nudity, violence and sensitive content) and when you choose em they blur out the image :0 pic.twitter.com/FSzsSL42Pu
— ♠️veil🖤 hiatus (@valledamoth) January 24, 2022
wait shiiii, twitter added a manual content warning feature? pic.twitter.com/dVstbSmp9p
— Ruko ✿ – Chocolate 1% (@RukoTheWonder) January 26, 2022
Twitter finally added a content warning feature for images
Testing it out, and seeing if it shows text of the tweet pic.twitter.com/L47oH0h1NB
— penny – Pilk (@penners827) January 26, 2022
loving the new content warning feature twitter gave us pic.twitter.com/hAk4f320c4
— hailey (@haileybxn) January 26, 2022
the long awaited pic of my giant ass pic.twitter.com/BIa0iqL4Mo
— YORA🦀 大きなお尻 (@yoracrab) January 26, 2022
super intense nsfw tweet here guys DO NOT CLICK pic.twitter.com/ePuyv5ckPC
— based and juicepilled 🥃🥃 @ spain without the s (@Barley_Juice_) January 26, 2022
— furvo 🇪🇪 (@_Furvo_) January 26, 2022
— 🐏Miserable, Non-Binary Candy🐏 (@_blaccsheep) January 26, 2022
The average timeline scroll continued to be bombarded with censored media. As a result, meta iterations began to blend into the mix. Quickly, Twitter’s content warning was becoming its own pop culture reference. As users clicked on more of them, they got used to not actually seeing NSFW content. So when they actually clicked on one and it was boobs or a beheading video, they were shocked. This created a whole new problem. Funny tweet posters didn’t hesitate to reference this conflict of interest.
— P*vel (@arthoefootjob) January 26, 2022
when you open the image with a cw and it’s an actual image using the content warning feature correctly and not a random funny picture pic.twitter.com/VXABk1A2MW
— philb (@PhillipBankss) January 27, 2022
“Content Warning: Nudity”
clicks
WHAT THE FUCK THEY’RE NAKED— Potato 🪶👯🥐 (@notPotatoe_) January 26, 2022
funny jokes aside this warning is fucking useless lol it barely hides the content pic.twitter.com/0IlnOLaqhf
— Gozu (@Gozutrucker69) January 26, 2022
As the content warning feature becomes more mainstream, it’ll be interesting to see how meme creators evolve it. For some, it’s definitely helpful because it aims to eliminate triggers and unwanted dick pics. But for right now, it’s a bait-and-switch prank that follows all the rules of the classic ones. The question really is if Twitter will back out of this decision like they’ve done with so many of their features in the past. However, something like Fleets was always used for nudes anyway.