Twitter may roll out a new update that allows users to write messages of up to 10,000 characters in a tweet in the first quarter of 2016. This feature would only display the first 140 characters, but it would bring a drastic change to the platform as a whole.
Twitter Goes Beyond 140 Characters
Many people have been turned away from using the platform because of the character limit. If this update does roll out, the social network will officially become a quick-fix stop for a lot more people. Allowing users more than 140 characters will make it easier for new accounts to get used to the platform.
Apple News and Google News Are In For Some Trouble
Let’s face it, writing tweets efficiently isn’t easy. A lot of people have to sacrifice grammar and context. A well-composed tweet is really commendable, which is probably why Twitter will only display the first 140 characters even if the limit is extended. This will encourage some muscle work on your first sentence. It will also ensure that the content doesn’t change too dramatically.
Blogs and publications will probably benefit the most from an update like this. It’ll give them space for an opening thought, and then allow them to continue in a ‘read more’ section. This is something that Twitter has lacked. Facebook and Tumblr have already introduced ‘read more’s onto their platforms, so it’s about time for Twitter to get with the program.
This will make for potential competition against Google News and Apple News. Twitter handles a lot of traffic from smartphones and tablets, which is something that is not as popular for Google News. Apple has its own News app integrated onto their phones, but some people don’t even know it exists. If Twitter extends the limit of their posts, they could become the go-to news source for a lot of people.
This New Update Might Not Be Entirely Beneficial
The 140 character limit is Twitter’s curse and blessing. It has been mocked, parodied and praised. Messages in short form have given many outlets a way to upload information in nuggets. The platform’s growing user base has gotten used to browsing through and getting only the most vital information. This makes the system efficient, quick and fun.
10,000 characters will allow for article-length content. This is something newspapers and news sources will take great advantage of. Blogs that focus on writing will also find this very useful. Though 10,000 characters seem a bit excessive even for these purposes, it could garner some good attention.
Should Twitter Consider Medium?
Medium is a platform that, while eerily similar, is pretty much what Twitter will be if they roll out this update. Medium even gives users an average of the time it will take to read a post. This would be beneficial to Twitter if people are really picky about time.
There has been no confirmation from Twitter that this update will actually happen. It would sure be interesting.
