Twitter is making a big change — 280 characters worth, to be exact.
The social media platform announced Tuesday that it will be beta testing an increase in character limit, allowing a small group to experiment with tweeting up to 280 characters. The previous limit was 140 characters.
Can’t fit your Tweet into 140 characters? 🤔
We’re trying something new with a small group, and increasing the character limit to 280! Excited about the possibilities? Read our blog to find out how it all adds up. 👇https://t.co/C6hjsB9nbL
— Twitter (@Twitter) September 26, 2017
As with all things on Twitter, internet reaction was swift — and mostly negative, prompting many to respond with snarky statements about the unnecessary character change.
Chrissy Teigen, who, in addition to being a supermodel, is known for her whip-smart, hilarious tweets, was one of the first to respond: “Literally my only talent was being able to think of tweets exactly 140 characters long. I don’t know if I will be able to alter this to 280.” (We sincerely hope she finds a way.)
Many commented on President Trump’s propensity for tweeting, be it announcing new policies, staff changes, or directly addressing critics. Alyssa Milano wrote, “Let’s hope Trump is NOT a member of this small group,” in reference to the limited pool who will have the increased character limit.
Both Archie Comics and Kermit the Frog joked that Twitter now has almost as many characters as the Archie-verse and The Muppets.
Read below for a sampling of reactions to Twitter’s latest change.
literally my only talent was being able to think of tweets exactly 140 characters long. i don't know if I will be able to alter this to 280.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) September 26, 2017
280 characters? What is this, Nicole Kidman's speech at the 2017 Emmy Awards?
— Jackson McHenry (@McHenryJD) September 26, 2017
280 characters? Now @Twitter almost has as many characters as #TheMuppets! https://t.co/D5xifbFS19
— Kermit the Frog (@KermitTheFrog) September 26, 2017
If we wanted to read essays we would log into Facebook so it's a no from me. #280characters pic.twitter.com/EvrOJXpTJU
— Sheldon Cameron (@Sheldon_Cameron) September 27, 2017
Dear Twitter, be careful what you wish for. #140Characters #280Characters pic.twitter.com/Tab6BEPn9I
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) September 27, 2017
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