This is somewhat a handy update and perhaps one that has been a long-time request. Twitter has recently expanded the rollout of its on-platform profile search option, enabling users to make keyword searches of Tweets from specific users directly from their profile page.
If you tap on the magnifying glass icon, you can manually enter a specific user’s handle or make use of Twitter’s advanced search filters to locate someone’s past Tweets, much like how you would perform a specific word search on Messenger. While the new search option’s job seems to be technically filled in even before it is released, it makes the whole search process easier, more streamlined, and precise.
Likewise, if you need to dig up a controversial or someone’s long-lost yet highly questionable Tweet, the option also makes it more manageable. So while you can start getting dirt on peers willy-nilly, the same can be said for your profile, making now the best time to review if there are specific Tweets that you wouldn’t want anybody else seeing.
You could say that the addition is also timely, better integrating the recently revived linkage between Twitter and Instagram. Instagram link previews can be pinned to Tweets, allowing for better, more cohesive cross-sharing of content. In line with this, the new profile search option could also potentially enhance navigation to other platforms since it’ll now be more convenient for users to find linked references and materials attached to Tweets.
It’s interesting, at the very least, to see that this update presents both a new potential engagement element within the platform and, at the same time, also raises concerns regarding privacy since such capacity will likely cause instances of ‘Tweet Stalking’. We’re not saying that this result is definite, only that there is a strong possibility of it happening. Doubling back, it also presents more opportunities to engage audiences, both personally and from a marketing perspective. The ability to retrieve otherwise “buried” Tweets can present users with various topics to facilitate deeper discussions. In the same way, influencers and brands on Twitter can essentially archive Tweets and easily reuse them for future promotions.
Twitter has been at it with testing new profile search options over the last few months, with some users having noticed it in testing recently. Check out this Tweet for more info. Among other things, this is one of the more minor novelty experiments of Twitter, seeing as how they’ve recently been checking out all sorts of new stuff in trying to meet steep performance goals.
The Wrap
It’s a relatively simple addition, but one that does offer potentially significant impacts. To add, the broader rollout of the option is catching the attention of more users, meaning that there is a noticeable difference in terms of what utility it does add to Twitter’s format. Detailed information on the option is still scarce, so gauging its effectiveness will mainly rely on initial observations and feedback. Nevertheless, it does open up Twitter to new opportunities just in time for the holiday rush.
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