Twitter has long been regarded as the place where news breaks, thanks to its brevity and immediacy. For the most part, we’re able to find what we want, when we want it, thanks to Twitter’s Advanced Search. It is, however, rife with misinformation – verifying facts, following the correct people and validating truths itself is something of a skill.
That’s where the UK launch of Twitter Moments hopes to fulfil a need: a new way to consume news without the worry of having to follow a swathe of new people or setting up searches. A Moment is a curation of the best tweets pertaining to a particular topic; content may include posts, images, videos, Vines or GIFs and the Moment is updated as and when new, useful content emerges.
You’ll see a new icon in your menu – a lightning bolt – and this will show you Moments ranging from hot topics of the day through to entertainment or sports news (you can browse through these). When you choose to follow a moment, it will merge content into your timeline and, when the story or moment ends, you’ll stop seeing that content. Further guidance on using Moments can be found on Twitter’s Help pages and on their blog.