Twitter Set to Launch Edit Button for Paying Subscribers
After years of internal and external debate about whether such a feature was a good idea for a product known for making posts go viral, Twitter Inc. is introducing an edit button for the first time.
Users who subscribe to Twitter Blue for $4.99 per month will soon get access to the edit tool. For up to 30 minutes after a tweet has been published, users will be able to edit it using the tool named “Edit Tweet.”
Edited tweets will have a label, and other Twitter users can click the label to view earlier iterations of the post.
The feature’s testing comes as the social network continues to integrate new and exciting features into its platform. Recall that in July this year, Twitter announced the launch of its “Unmentioning” feature to allows users remove themselves from conversations they don’t want to be a part of. The media giant also began testing a new “CoTweets” feature that allows users to co-author tweets in the same month.
if you see an edited Tweet it's because we're testing the edit button
this is happening and you'll be okay
— Twitter (@Twitter) September 1, 2022
According to a blog post by the firm, it is explicitly testing the edit button with a select set of users in an effort to address any potential problems as soon as feasible. In the ensuing weeks, Twitter Blue users will begin to see the edit button.
Twitter and the EDIT Dilemma
Since its inception, the social media giant has been debating the advantages and disadvantages of an edit button. Some are concerned that it would be abused by those looking to go viral by changing the text of a message after it has been retweeted.
Even though an edit button was so frequently asked for, that the company never made a firm decision on whether or not to introduce it. Former CEO Jack Dorsey stated as recently as January 2020 that it was extremely improbable.
When Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Inc., acquired a sizable share in the business and asked his followers if they supported an edit button, the discussion erupted earlier this year. The majority of voters choose “yes.”
In an apparent effort to separate the initiative from Musk’s influence, Twitter quickly acknowledged that it had already begun testing the feature internally and highlighted that it had begun developing an edit button before to Musk’s vote.