Twitter now lets you add GIFs, video or photos to retweets

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Twitter
Twitter says this feature was much-demanded by users.
Photo: Twitter

If you’ve ever dreamed of being able to add a GIF into your Twitter retweet (and what self-respecting citizen of 2019 has not?), this is your lucky day!

Twitter has introduced the ability for users to retweet a message with an accompanying GIF, photo or video. “People come to Twitter to share their thoughts on interests, events, and news, and we wanted to give them more ways to express themselves,” the company said. “Also, you asked for this!”

According to a Twitter thread, the company revealed that it wasn’t straightforward to add. During its first usability test, it says, it found that people got confused when it came to understanding a retweet featuring media. “This was due to the layout,” Twitter claims.

A surprising challenge to achieve

“To improve comprehension, we focused on creating hierarchy, prioritizing the author’s voice, and providing more context around the Tweet being Retweeted,” it continued. “Next, we ran a second usability test, introducing a condensed inner Tweet that was styled similar to a pull quote. This was to help differentiate the two components of the Retweet. Participants reacted well to it.”

The company started its experiments with this feature earlier this year. The functionality is now rolling out to all users across different platforms. If you’ve not yet got access to it, it is likely that it will follow in the coming days.

Is this a feature that you’ve been waiting on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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