14 DAY TRIAL // Twitter is finally changing the 140 character limit on its platform, and they are planning to double it, first as a test and then for everyone.
The number 140 is a tough limit for Twitter users, but it’s also something that most people are accustomed to. In fact, it’s likely that many users won’t like this change at all because they imagine they will have a lot more to read.
The truth is in the numbers. It turns out that 9% of Twitter users hit the 140 character limit. It might seem a small number, but it’s, in fact, a big one. Simply put, there are too many people shaving off their tweets to the right length than you would expect to see from a mere coincidence.
Just a test for now, but it will be here soon
The new character limit on Twitter will be 280, and only a small number of people will be using it for now. The idea is to gauge the impact on the platform before pushing it for everyone.
“Although we feel confident about our data and the positive impact this change will have, we want to try it out with a small group of people before we make a decision to launch to everyone. What matters most is that this works for our community – we will be collecting data and gathering feedback along the way. We’re hoping fewer Tweets run into the character limit, which should make it easier for everyone to Tweet,” wrote Aliza Rosen, product manager for Twitter.
Since not all languages are the same, English text will take up more space. This means that more tweets hit the upper limit. The same can’t be said about other languages such as Korean or Japanese. The bottom line is to have fewer user hitting the upper limit.
There is also another aspect to consider. People are going to experience a personal attachment to the old limit, and we shouldn’t be surprised that it will take a long time for users to adjust.
