If You Can't Write 280-Character Tweets, Don't Panic — You'll Be Able To Soon

What a time to be alive, my friends. Twitter is increasing its character count, finally allowing our lengthiest of thoughts to post in one tweet. However, some of you might be asking, "Why can't I write 280-character tweets," so let's get you up to speed on the 4-1-1.

Twitter decided to unroll 280 characters — double the typical 140 — earlier this year. It was a test that some users were able to play with, while others were left in the cold breaking up their thoughts into separate tweets. FOMO was at an all-time high.

Now, however, the social media giant decided it would allow all of its users to experience lengthier character counts. Just think of the possibilities you can share — the gifs, the proper punctuation you no longer have to do without because you ran out of space. It's certainly exciting... and a bit frightening to think that the president will also be entitled to longer tweets.

Twitter Product Manager Aliza Rosen earlier this year that 140 is the magic number that is no longer sufficient. According to a blog post, she said,

We understand since many of you have been Tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters – we felt it, too. But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint.

So, how do you get those 280 characters? The answer's fairly simple.

You wait. Twitter is slooowwwlllyyy rolling out this update for all users. Make sure your apps are up to date and you have the latest software installed, depending on what device you typically use to send out those tweets. If you're feeling a bit impatience (much like yours truly) restart your phone or computer and perhaps you'll be surprised with what happens after.

It might not necessarily be the answer you wanted to hear, but fear not: Just like winter, 280 is coming. According to a Nov. 7 blog post in the Twitter newsroom, everyone will get a 280-character turn to spew their thoughts and feelings. The post reads,

We are making this change after listening and observing a problem our global community was having (it wasn’t easy enough to Tweet!), studying data to understand how we could improve, trying it out, and listening to your feedback. We’ll continue listening and working to make Twitter easier for everyone while making sure we keep what you love.

A lot of people can't wait for this new opportunity. Others, however, are less than pleased with Twitter's change. For some, 140 characters holds a special place in their hearts.

What are we really looking for, folks? Are we trying to find ways to say more, or do we just need an editing tool? I'm willing to bet people will completely ditch the 280 characters in favor of a revision method. After all, isn't it a tad embarrassing when you catch a spelling mistake or incorrect info in one of your tweets? Social media users can only be so forgiving.

Whether you're willing to accept the news or not, everyone can expect to see these updates in the near future. Prepare for rants, angry messages, and those praising the new character length. It'll be a doozy for sure. But let's look at the positives: Now that this change is happening, everyone's going to be able to get even more details on great accounts, like Adam Ellis' #DearDavid threads. With spooky new developments happening, I for one cannot wait until he gets access to 280 characters.

Stay positive, tweethearts, and happy tweeting.

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