The 411 on Twitter Moments

There’s been more than one shakeup on Twitter in the past month. First, Jack Dorsey went from interim CEO of the social media giant to permanent CEO and continuing CEO of Square. Then, we all loved the sponsored emojis beginning with #ShareACoke. Finally, on October 6, Twitter introduced its largest update in well over a year: Twitter Moments.

Twitter Moments is being touted as the “best of Twitter in an instant,” and so far it’s living up to that claim. Millions of tweets are shared everyday and moments are an effort to pull the best of them together to give you a look into prominent topics. Moments curate tweets from a variety of sources to bring you the highlights of major events, pop culture and sports.

The categories of Moments include: Today, News, Sports, Entertainment and Fun. In the first week Twitter shared topics as serious as “Inside the Caliphate,” showcasing those who live under militant rule from the point of view of a Washington Post reporter, and topics as heartwarming as International Walk To School Day.

You don’t have to follow specific accounts to dive into Twitter Moments. Just click over to the “Moments” tab and begin browsing. Specific Moments are constantly updated, so you can follow the ones that interest you to receive updates and integrate them into your timeline. This adds a whole new element to events like sports games and awards shows, where new information is available by the minute.

So, who assembles Moments? For now, that’s done by Twitter’s curation team and a few prominent partners, most notably Buzzfeed, the Washington Post, MLB, NASA, the New York Times and Vogue. This is a program that Twitter plans to expand, so we’ll have to wait and see how future partners, both big and small, shape storytelling on Twitter.

Twitter is currently only available to users in the U.S. across Android, iPhone and desktop users, but they can be shared internationally. Since the birth of Twitter in 2006, the platform has helped millions of people shape their stories and make an impact in their communities – and even countries. When a company as large as Twitter introduces a new way to “curate” stories, it will have an impact across the globe on how we take in collective experiences and news.

How do you think Twitter Moments will shape how we use social media? Let us know on Twitter!