Have you ever felt bad about screenshotting a meme you’ve seen on Twitter? No! Because you’re not crazy. Or, you’d rather send it onward to a different social media, or save it for yourself later. Twitter wants this to change. Some users have begun to see pop-ups asking them to “Share Tweet instead” once they make the screenshot gesture. The answer is no, Twitter. In fact, we’ll be screenshotting our memes more than usual, thanks.
Screenshot to your heart’s content
Twitter doesn’t want you to screenshot tweets anymore
It wants active users on platform viewing tweets INSTEAD of via screenshots on rival platforms
One of these now pops up when you take a screenshot 👇 pic.twitter.com/YY0GtF3lVb
— Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) October 7, 2022
Matt Navara was the first to notice Twitter’s nudges, one asking the user to “Copy link” and the aforementioned “Share Tweet” button. Some users were given both options when screenshotting.
If you’re curious as to why Twitter would rather have you share a tweet, it’s money. Twitter makes money when people use the site. Even if it’s just one tweet, unsuspecting users are bombarded with sponsored tweets or regular ads. Unless the user has Twitter Blue – which removes ads from the platform. #notspon – other depressing apps are available.
It also has to do with the issue of reposting Twitter screenshots, something Instagram has a real issue with. Half of the “jokes” on the platform are recycled Twitter screenshots that were popular in 2017.
Read More: Elon Musk confirms he’s buying Twitter (again)
So, Twitter, we get it. Money is on the line and other platforms are stealing your content. But we still won’t share via a link. And that’s because of the context that links fail to add to the conversation. Sometimes a reply is a reason for screenshotting or the impending deletion of the tweet. Sending a link takes the receiver away from that. Or, if you’re that childish, you may want to screenshot as the tweet crosses the 69,000 likes threshold.
With how things are going these days, there’s always a chance that Musk’s purchase of the app could lead to the site going offline for a ‘meme’. Considering the deal is worth roughly $41 billion, this is pretty unlikely. But not impossible. If that day comes, we’ll be grateful for our gallery filled with screenshots.
Source: TechCrunch
