Lists

A list is something you can create which collects together a group of other Twitter accounts, which have something in common. Here is the link to Twitter’s own guide on how to create and manage lists (opens in new tab/window):https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-lists

The benefit of creating a list is that it enables you filter content, so that you only see Tweets, from the accounts you have put on that list. So, once you have created a list e.g. of your favourite Twitter accounts, you can choose this list, instead of “Home” and you will only see the tweets, from the accounts you have selected, in that list. Alternatively, you could group your selected accounts, by a topic, so if you are interested in say politics and sport, you might wish to create a list of politics-related accounts and a separate one for sports accounts.

There is not so much to write about this topic as not many users are big fans and few use them much, but there are two key things that are good to know. The first one is that when setting up a list it is recommended that you make it a private list. (Lists can be private – you only- or public).

Many people do not like being added to public lists without giving their permission (again you may see “No lists” in their bio.). This is because some troll accounts set up lists of accounts that they wish to alert other trolls to criticise, so that they can target their abuse. Many have been added to a few such lists.

If you add people to public lists without their permission, they can see that you have done so and remove themselves, by blocking your account. If you add people to public lists, without their express agreement, you may therefore end up getting blocked! Hence, if you are going to set up a public list, then I recommend that you seek the permission of the accounts you wish to add.

The converse of this is that you may be added to a list without your permission being sought. (some troll account users set up lists which they share with each other, grouping together accounts that they disagree with (often with a highly derogatory name, such as “traitors” or “scum” ). Particularly if you regularly engage with troll accounts, it’s a good idea to check the “Lists” option every few days.

If you choose the “Member” tab this will show all public lists to which you have been added (sometimes you get a notification but this doesn’t seem to happen every time). If you find that you have been added to a public list, without permission, then you have the option of contacting the creator to resolve this or, if it’s a troll account, simply block them, to remove yourself.