Twitter's New Composer Could Make It Easier To Create Threads And Long Tweets

To some, Twitter's short post format is its unique selling point. Users say what they have to say in 280 characters, and everyone else can quickly read their opinions. This may no longer be the case if one of Elon Musk's many plans for the company comes off. Originally, tweets were limited to 140 characters, which Twitter claims was due to the limits imposed by its SMS-based origins. As the company advanced, Twitter was no longer reliant on SMS and the character limit was eventually doubled to 280 characters. But many users still hit the limit and have to find creative ways of getting their very detailed points across on the social media site. One method involves using the notepad app included on many phones and tablets. The app can be used to write out long-form messages and tell fairly long stories. The text written on the app can then be screenshotted, multiple times if necessary, and those screenshots can be attached to a single tweet. The tweet's own character limit can then be used to post a brief summary and attach necessary hashtags. This is something Elon Musk previously described as an "absurdity" while talking about introducing a way to add long-form text to tweets from within the app itself.

Another common method is "threading" which people have been indicating with the thread emoji in recent times. Well-planned threads have numbered tweets, but some are more freely typed. The idea behind a thread is simple: You post what you have to say, and when you run out of space, reply to your own, original tweet with more detail on the subject. Then you simply add tweets to the "thread" until you're done. This popular method could form the basis for Musk's long-form plans.

App researcher Jane Manchun Wong claims that Twitter is working on an update that will turn your longer tweets into a thread automatically. According to Wong, your tweets will automatically thread once the tweet limit is hit, and you can just continue typing and an additional tweet will be added. However, this may not be as big a game-changer as it sounds.

Twitter is working on making Tweet composer automatically expand into a thread when the characters count is approaching the 280 characters limit https://t.co/nigChFZ2Yn

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) November 17, 2022

Twitter has long recognized both its limitations and the popularity of threading. While users originally had to reply to their previous tweet, potentially allowing other users to jump in and reply before all the context had been added, Twitter released an update a while ago that made threading a lot easier. The box you type a new tweet into has a + button in the bottom right-hand corner which will add an additional tweet to the thread. This allows users to easily compile threads and jump between tweets to edit everything and make sure it flows. The coming update may make it easier for people to just paste large amounts of text, post very long threads, and avoid having their flow interrupted between individual tweets. However, other users have pointed out that the + button has its perks. Currently, users can precisely tailor what each tweet starts and ends with and the length of each tweet. If the process becomes automated, things may actually end up looking rougher.

The most talked about change that Musk has planned is the relaunch of the premium "Twitter Blue" subscription service and what that means for verification. Originally, Musk tried to get the $8-a-month plan out quickly, but this led to major issues. Anyone who paid the fee was automatically verified, and although the badges distinguished between "legacy verified" users like politicians, celebrities, and brands on close inspection — both checkmarks looked the same at first glance. This led to a situation where trolls were pretending to be public figures and businesses, then tweeting a variety of offensive content. Twitter suspended the ability to sign up for the service and went back to the drawing board.

But a checkmark for everyone isn't the only new feature on Twitter, nor is it the most useful. Despite pushing the paid service, Musk has promised to make a long-desired feature, the edit button, available to everyone. Twitter tested its edit button shortly before the takeover and has initially made it available to Blue users. Previously, there was no way to edit a tweet once a tweet was posted and the only way to correct a typo or add a missing hashtag was to delete it and try again.

Musk also wants to add longer, higher-quality videos to the service. The ability to upload longer videos is going to be one of the perks of "New Blue," but it will do more than just boost signups for Musk's main monetization plan. It could also generate revenue by luring popular content creators over from sites like YouTube — something Musk has already highlighted as an ambition of his.