Twitteris a complex social media platform, but it began with a very simple idea. It started as an SMS text-based service, which capped the number of characters in an individual post at 140. Due to the limitations of the technology, users couldn’t even edit their posts. These limitations created a culture, a belief that the restrictions were what gaveTwitterits value. Twitter has evolved in the years since and the technology behind the platform allows for the limitations to be removed, though Twitter has been conservative with changes. Change, however, is often inevitable.
On Friday, a number of Twitter users making posts suddenly realized that they had a button available allowing them to edit what they shared. As the shock of the revelation began to spread, Twitter clarified the situation with a message on its official account. Editing functionality is being tested. It’s currently only available for a limited number ofTwitter users. Getting ahead of any potential controversy, Twitter explains, “this is happening and you’ll be okay.”
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A longerstatement from Twitterwas shared on the platform’s official blog. The post is titled “This is a test of Twitter’s new Edit Tweet feature. This is only a test” and offers a detail explanation of the feature, who has access to it, and the thought process behind the feature’s release.
The functionality for editing tweets is exactly what it sounds like. Twitter users will be able topost their tweetand then edit it after publication. They won’t be forced to delete a tweet and publish a new one. Editing tweets will be limited, at least initially, to the first 30 minutes after they’ve been published. Further, they’ll only be able to be edited “a few times.” Each edited tweet will also be labeled as having been edited with a link to previous versions of the tweet. Twitter says this will help “protect the integrity of the conversation” as well as create a “publicly accessible record.”
Twitter says it thinks that editing functionality will make Twitter a “more approachable and less stressful” experience. Twitter wants users to “participate in the conversation” how they want and are making changes to make that process “effortless.” It’s a lot of corporate speak, but it is undoubtedly a highly requested feature and Twitter has addressed a lot of criticism already with its edit log and limited timeframe for edits. Nevertheless, expect the conversation about the necessity of editing onTwitterto continue across social media.
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