Facebook has started testing a new interface feature that will prompt people to at least open a link before they share it with their network. The company says it’s trying out the message to see if it promotes more informed sharing. “You’re about to share this article without opening it,” the prompt says. “Sharing articles without reading them may mean missing key facts.” It then offers users two options. You can either open the article or repost it as normal.
The pop-up is similar to Twitter’s, which it started testing in June 2020. Twitter’s implementation of the feature can be annoying to users (myself included) who have read the article elsewhere and decide to share it when they see it pop up on their feed.
Facebook says the pop-up is meant to help people be more informed about the articles they share, likely as an attempt to combat the spread of misinformation the platform has struggled with in the past. As the message warns, not opening the article can lead to “missing key facts,” with headlines often not telling the whole story.
