Twitter might end its 140-character limit, because we need more of people’s thoughts
Twitter users have long known the frustration of trying to reduce their multifaceted thoughts on the latest hot-button politic topic and/or Empire plot twist into a slim 140 characters. And that kind of minimalism means nuance is usually the first thing to go. But there’s good news for those who want more space to craft their @midnight hashtag jokes: Twitter may finally be loosening up its 140-character limit—kind of.
According to Recode, Twitter executives are currently discussing potential ways to ease up on the site’s oldest restriction, including the idea of removing links and Twitter handles from the total character count. It’s not the first time Twitter has relaxed its rules a bit: The site recently added the “retweet with comment” feature and lifted the 140-character limit on private messages.
One current senior employee praises interim CEO Jack Dorsey for the shift. “People have been very precious at Twitter about what Twitter can be and how much it can be evolved,” the employee explained. “Having Jack come in and say it’s okay makes all the difference in the world.” Meanwhile, Variety speculates that since Dorsey is currently in the running to become the company’s permanent CEO, this leaked information could have been intended to “further the narrative of him having a bold vision for the future of the company.”
Of course, even if Twitter were to simply raise its limit by a few characters, users would likely still agonize over how to fit their complex thoughts into 150 or 160 characters. But Twitter has that covered as well: The company is reportedly building a new product specifically for long-form content. Although it’s not yet known exactly how this long-form platform would work, Variety speculates it could be its own app that runs in parallel with Twitter, kind of like how Periscope tweets links for live streams. And with no character limits to get in the way, all internet fights will immediately transform into thoughtful intellectual discussions.