(Source: Esther Vargas/flickr)
Just after we examined how futile it is for users of free social networks to complain about policy changes made by those apps, a company has proven us wrong — notably, by listening to its user base. Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey revealed on Friday that the company will stick with its 140-character limit in tweets — something it had publicized potentially changing a couple of months ago. And, while impossible to tell whether or not user backlash had anything to do with Twitter’s decision, the outcries of massive numbers of Twitter users likely did not go unnoticed.
In January, reports abounded that Twitter was set to change its 140-character limit per tweet to as many as 10,000. Users quickly took to the social network to decry the change (though it was clearly not even close to set in stone) citing how it would turn Twitter into another Facebook or ‘just another’ platform for blogging. Most noted that the 140-character aspect was what made Twitter unique, and it is a highly cherished feature.
Yes, such a drastic change to Twitter’s format would have been far more dramatic than the algorithm change Instagram promised earlier this week. And, no, Dorsey said nothing about sticking to 140 characters because of user outcries. But it’s hard to imagine the company making any decision without at least acknowledging user outrage, if only behind closed doors.
In fact Twitter would be wise to do so more openly, considering it has lagged behind Instagram and Facebook by a few million users. (Note that its somewhat stagnant user base has been criticized by investors.) It will have to look elsewhere for changes to keep itself fresh.
