Twitter Is Reportedly Planning to Expand Beyond Its Signature 140-Character Limit

In a somewhat baffling move, Twitter is reportedly planning to expand beyond its signature 140-character limit. These reports claim that Twitter is currently working on a mystery product that will allow users to “publish long-form content,” though the specifics of that product are not known. Lest we forget, Twitter practically sent out a global casting net to catch a potentially limitless amount of certified thirst essays by expanding the DM limit to a reasonable 10,000 characters earlier this year.

“People have been very precious at Twitter about what Twitter can be and how much it can be evolved,” a “current senior employee” tells Re/Code. “Having Jack [Dorsey] come in and say it’s okay makes all the difference in the world.” For Twitter purists, the move may come as a bit of a shock, as the 140-character limit was the central force behind Twitter’s initial (and lasting) appeal. Brevity inspired directness. Directness inspired happiness.

Will Twitter now become a cover band version of itself, hashing out all the metaphorical b-sides while fans scream for your the original artist’s biggest hit (i.e. 140-character limits)? With Edward Snowden just now joining the Twitter party (@Snowden), can the spirit of Twitter live on in a slightly more verbose setting? All signs point to maybe hopefully so.

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