Twitter Logo on Phone (Photo : Aim.org)
Twitter could reportedly stop counting photos and links in its 140-character limit to free up space for longer tweets. The social network could implement the change to Twitter posts within the next few weeks.
The news about the change to Twitter's benchmark feature is based on a Bloomberg report from someone familiar with the issue. Twitter has not made any official announcements about tweaks to its 140-character limit.
Links in Twitter posts currently take up 23 characters after the company automatically makes them shorter, according to Bloomberg.
This is not the first time the struggling social giant has created online buzz about possible changes to its format. In January Recode reported on the "Beyond 140" project. It would set tweets' maximum length at 10,000, which is the same limit for a Twitter Direct Message.
The social network received some criticism from Twitter users. They argued that it would move away from the company's original mission to provide quick and clever social media posts.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey quickly addressed those concerns. He tweeted that public messaging is the main function of Twitter.
Dorsey explained that Twitter is an easy way to say something that everyone can see instantly, according to CBS News. He also noted that the 140 character restriction was added to fit into one SMS message. It is 160 characters.
When Twitter was launched in 2006 mobile text messages were a popular way of sending tweets. It was before smartphones became widely used.
Twitter's CEO also stated that the company's big plan is to give its users more choices. For example, some people send a series of tweets to tell a story, while others tweet screenshots of long texts.
In recent months Twitter executives have focused on the use of Twitter for discussion and live events. Twitter fans could be more likely to add media to posts if photos and links are not included in the character limit.
Twitter has made video a part of its push for live events. It recently made a $10 million deal to live-stream 10 National Football League (NFL) games during the 2016 season. It is working on other content deals for streaming political events, sports, and entertainment.
Here's Twitter's reported 10K character limit:
