Twitter recently announced that it is increasing the 140 character limit to 280 characters because of languages impacted by cramming. This means two tweets can now be tweeted in one swoop.
As the news went viral, users have either welcomed or condemned the move while another set of users urged Twitter not to make the changes in other not to give Donald Trump, more words to tweet. How about that?
https://twitter.com/DenzelUG/status/912785906620407817
Just because of Trump, it should remain at 140. He's creating enough damage with just 140. Imagine arming him with 280. 😛
— B³ (@borabali) September 27, 2017
Don’t give Trump 280.
— Biter/Sting/Curator🌊🌈⏰📬💙 (@nufsaid2) September 27, 2017
https://twitter.com/MourinhoMindset/status/912793127659950085
Amidst these reactions, the implications of this impending character increase will be felt more by social media managers because they are content creators. And since Twitter is one of the most convenient and reliable social media platforms companies and businesses reach their audiences, they have no choice than to adjust.
eMarketer in 2015 surveyed organisations with 100 or more employees across the U.S. and found that 88 percent are using social media in some capacity for marketing purposes. This figure is expected to rise slightly to 89 percent next year and 89.5 percent in 2016.
Thee social media these organisations use include:
-
Social networks
-
Social games
-
Blogs
-
Microblogging (i.e., Twitter)
-
Photo and video sharing
-
Podcasting
-
Ratings and reviews
-
Virtual Worlds
-
Widgets
-
Apps
Adjusting means tweeting more characters regardless of the fact that 140 encourages them to keep their tweets brief, simple and straight to the point. They have to take more time in editing and checking for grammatical and spelling errors. And of course, the work pressure will increase.
As a matter of concern, I asked a social media manager how this will impact his job, he simply said ‘messy timeline’. Obviously, for him, the 280 character is a no-brainer.
On the brighter side, social media managers do not need to number their tweet series as the 280 may probably suffice and additionally, shorthand in tweets may be a thing of the past.
The questions and concerns raised by Twitter users are because users think that Twitter’s brand is built around the 140-characters. But truth be told, Twitter’s core identity is contained in the @username and #hashtag. The @ and # is about the people inside Twitter: people who tweet things they shouldn’t, people who use it for marketing, people and who use it for campaigns.
Social media managers should simply accept this change as a challenge to express their creativity. As a matter of fact, there may be little or no difference in the platform, and maybe the success of the change will give Twitter the confidence to focus on what really matters: the communities that have gathered on the service.
