Twitter Update: The Social Media Site Is Currently Testing The Extension Of Its Word Count; Preparing For The Backlash

Twitter will redefine the number of characters that the users can use. Instead of usual 140 characters, their plan is to double the number of words. The social media site said on Tuesday that it would extend the text limit of its service to 280 characters.

According to Twitter, the goal was to eliminate what it views as the constraint, as it keeps people from tweeting more frequently. Also, one significant barrier, according to the internal research of the social media site, is the binding limit in the character count. The site said on a blog post, "When people don't have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people tweeting," according to The Verge.

The changes are a big moment for Twitter, as the 11-year-old social media has been trying to figure out how to change their services without disaffecting the users who already got used to the format. The plan of extending the length of the post has been contentious internally. It battled around among the product groups that are trying to look for ways to persuade people to use the service more frequently.

Twitter currently has 328 million users. Thus, the site has been criticized for its inability to attract more people. The investors have gone nervous as the users' growth has already affected the revenue of the company.

Meanwhile, Twitter is now preparing for a backlash from those who might take issue with the 280-character twee. They said that "We understand since many of you have been tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters. But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint," according to New York Times.

Thus, last year, Twitter already tried extending its character count by allowing people to post GIFs and photos without counting them against the overall limit of the character. Also, it toyed with longer posts exceeding 140 characters, until criticism from the users prompted Jack Dorsey, who is the chief executive of Twitter.