Twitter’s Muting Feature Can Be Used to Shut Out Television Spoilers

Twitter’s muting feature doesn’t have to just be used for “anti-harassment” purposes, according to a new report from Vanity Fair, which points out that it can be used to shut out the latest television spoilers.

“Usually, Twitter poses two threats to the spoiler-averse: swarms of live tweets that appear during an event or episode, and the stray tweets that crop up in the months that follow,” Vanity Fair reported on Tuesday. “Enter Twitter’s advanced muting features, initially launched last fall as part of the social network’s effort to curb bullying and harassment.”

“Entertainment was never the central focus of these efforts, Twitter product manager Rishi Tembe told Vanity Fair via e-mail, but the promise of preventing TV spoilers was a happy byproduct,” Vanity Fair reports.

“We always wanted to expand on the mute feature work we did in November, which lets you remove certain keywords, phrases, or entire conversations from your notifications,” Tembe told Vanity Fair. “Now, you can mute from your home timeline, and you can decide how long this content is muted—one day, one week, one month, or indefinitely.”

“Now, whether people are in a different time zone, or just can’t make it home in time for their favorite show, they’ll be able to better avoid spoilers on the platform,” he continued.

Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.