Twitter tests letting users follow topics in the same way they follow accounts

Casey Newton, The Verge:

Twitter will begin allowing users to follow interests, the company said today, letting users see tweets about topics of their choosing inside the timeline. When the feature goes live, you’ll be able to follow topics including sports teams, celebrities, and television shows, with a selection of tweets about them inserted alongside tweets in your home feed.

Twitter will curate the topics, minimizing the potential for abuse. And you can temporarily mute a topic so you don’t see spoilers for a game you’ve recorded, a movie or streaming episode you haven’t seen.

The company has been researching the bad incentives that Twitter can create, with the like and retweet often serving to promote outrage and polarization.

Understatement of the year.