While I'm not the biggest or most adept Twitter user, I do know that the 140-character limit is a pain, especially if you have something "big" or "important" to say (which I never do, but whatever). Honestly, that's partly why I avoid this particular social media platform — because I'm a chatterbox who struggles to self-edit. But with today's announcement that Twitter may be loosening up their character limit, I'm celebrating with four tweets that I'll never have to see again. Hopefully, that is — it's all dependent on the microblogging platform officially deciding to do away with the rule.
Just to be clear: Twitter as a platform is not changing, at least not any time soon. However, several sources have revealed to Re/Code that Twitter plans to release a product that will allow users to bend that very tight character limit. Gone are the abbreves; gone is the necessarily bad grammar. No more will I struggle with headlines that give so little information that I have 20 tabs open at once because maybe I'll want to read all of them. (It's always a struggle when I finally take a look at them and decide that I actually want to read none of them.)
Now, this is not to say that the character limit as it stands is exclusively a bad thing. It's not. I know writers who view tweeting successfully as a delightful wordsmith challenge, because we're all nerds who consider futzing around with diction to be a fun and entertaining hobby. Comedians can perfect their one-liners. News organizations can break news with five words.
Will some people babble on incessantly now? Yeah, probably. Will those people be me? You bet. Am I still happy that these necessary tweeting quirks will be amended? Duh. Behold: Four tweets that might go the way of all things, should the Twitter character limit get extended:
1. Tweets That Are Just A URL.
OK, but... what is it?
2. Tweets That Are Just A Name
Let me in on your inside joke, Mallory! Please!
3. Tweets That Chop Up An Argument Into Multiple Parts
The ellipses are killing me. This is an important point! Just let her say it already!
4. Tweets That Include Excessive Hashtag Usage
Now you can do hashtags and words. Visually so much nicer. My brain thanks you.
