Tweet editing is coming and it’s about darn time that it did! Over the last few days, we’ve gained some more insight into just how Twitter’s edit option will work, as well as how users will be able to track Tweet changes to ensure transparency in the process, which is an essential element.
So, Chirping?
The reason why Twitter hasn’t implemented editing in the past is because of the innately brief nature of Tweets. Theoretically leaving them more susceptible to subtle changes might misconstrue the original message or context of a Tweet.
“The tweets-are-sacred crowd’s biggest fear, so far as I can tell, is that someone will use the editing feature maliciously to make those who liked or retweeted the original tweet look terrible. For example, a picture of an adorable puppy might be edited, after it has been retweeted thousands of times, to display a picture of something deeply offensive, such as the president of the United States.”
So, is this any more true of Twitter than it is of Facebook or Instagram? Perhaps not. The viral sharing mechanics of Twitter, which is mostly through habitual re-Tweeting, could make this more of an in-app concern.
If Twitter were to implement Tweet editing, there would also be a publicly accessible change log that users can access to determine what the original message was, lessening the concern on this element. Well, this would be the ideal scenario, at least. Either way, this is what Twitter seems to be working on. Reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong notes that Twitter’s coming edit option will not update the original Tweet, but will instead create a new version of the Tweet to take its place. This would then enable Twitter to include an ‘Edit History’ log within each Tweet.
It seems that users will at least be able to access some sort of changelog for each Tweet, which doesn’t eliminate the concern entirely, but it could at least give users a way out if they were criticized for re-Tweeting a message that had later on been changed to something else. App researcher Nima Owji also posted a video clip about the new Edit Tweet option in action.
Based on the advanced nature of the function in these examples, it does seem like we’re going to get Tweet editing sooner than expected. However, even if it is here, it might not be exactly what most would have hoped for.
The Wrap
At the very least, it does look to be handy, albeit the novelty quickly wears off once it does fully roll out. While many users have asked for it for years, it’s unlikely that such an option will be able to significantly transform Twitter in any way. It can be good for PR though, which helps the platform immensely given its lofty 2023 goals. Of course, who can overlook the recent pressure from Elon Musk’s takeover bid, right? Whether or not that succeeds, Tweet editing is still on its way.
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