Don't Change on me Twitter

As a major proponent of Twitter, I tend to ignore when people suggest that the social network is phasing out.  Since I first created my account, I have always kept up-to-date on my news feed and never hesitate to create a post when I have an interesting thought or share-worthy experience.  One of the things that keeps me going back to Twitter is that, in general, it hasn't really changed.

The concept has remained simple- 140 characters to encourage likes or retweets from fellow tweeters.  The interface has barely changed- a scrollable newsfeed organized by the time of posting.  And its main features reflect the same ones of the past- the tag and the hashtag.

Lately though, Twitter has started to push the edges of change with new developments within the platform.  A fellow classmate, Katherine, shared the new feature of Twitter that allows you to post up to four photos in a tweet and tag up to ten friends, without using up any of the precious 140 characters. 

Another classmate lead a discussion that focused on the elimination of tagging other users in posts, making Twitter more of a dialogue between users.  And yet another article that I found suggests the extinction of the hashtag.  

While some, like Katherine and Katie, think that these new additions will ultimately increase Twitter's popularity, I think that they will take away from what makes Twitter.. Twitter.  

Twitter is a forum for sharing and consuming a variety of thoughts and updates.  I enjoy reading through my timeline and seeing a mix of information and ideas.  I like not just being able to find out what my friends are doing, but being able to read news updates, live sports commentary, clever ideas and jokes, and current trends.  What makes Twitter enjoyable for me is the variety that it brings.

With the new features of Twitter, I think it will begin to lose this variety that distinguishes it from other social media.  Twitter is not a primary photo-sharing forum, so I don't see the necessity for the photo-tagging feature.  Twitter is not a messaging application, so I don't see the necessity of removing the "@" symbol.  And Twitter is not an independent sharing source, so I don't see how the lack of a hashtag would be plausible in a network that constantly connects others with others, others with ideas, and ideas with ideas.

Twitter does allow photo-sharing and dialogue between users, but its main focus is for users to share their thoughts, read others ideas, and connect and interact with users. I do not see the "@" symbol or hashtag going anywhere any time soon because of their abilities to create this interaction.  And I also hope that encouraging users to share more photos won't turn it into the next Instagram.

In a social media world that is becoming more heavily centered on pictures, with apps like Instagram and SnapChat,  I think Twitter holds its value in its 140 characters.  Its where I turn to actively read and engage, instead of just scroll through photos.  

Unlike a picture, words allow each viewer to see something different.  A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a word may be worth a thousand pictures. And 140 characters could make many words...