Twitter is working on a new ‘Articles’ feature that would let you post longer tweets, leak claims

From quick snap reactions to hilarious memes, Twitter is best known for its short and sweet content.

Users are currently restricted to tweets of 280 characters, and while this is usually enough for most people, a new report suggests that those hoping to post longer tweets could soon be in luck.

Respected leaker Jane Manchun Wong claims that Twitter is working on a new feature called Twitter Articles, allowing users to post lengthier messages.

Ms Wong posted a screenshot of what Twitter Articles is likely to look like to Twitter this week.

‘Twitter is working on ‘Twitter Articles’ and the ability to create one within Twitter,’ she wrote. ‘Possibility a new longform format on Twitter.’

While the screenshot doesn’t give away many details, it indicates that Twitter Articles could have their own dedicated section within the Twitter app.

In a follow-up tweet, Ms Wong suggested a range of potential uses for Twitter Articles.

Ms Wong posted a screenshot of what Twitter Articles is likely to look like to Twitter this week

‘There’s gonna be lots of potentials with Twitter Article,’ she added.

‘Off the top of my head: exclusive articles, newsletter + in-app UX + on-platform conversation, syndicated articles (by news sites) + news-reading subscription model.’

A Twitter spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We’re always looking into new ways to help people start and engage in conversations on Twitter. We’ll share more about our work here soon.’ 

When Twitter first launched in 2006, tweets were capped at 140 characters, which was fairly restrictive.

But in 2018, Twitter doubled this limit to 280 characters to make it easier for users to ‘express themselves.’

However, initial data from Twitter when the character limit was lifted suggests that most Twitter users still post short tweets.

In a 2018 blog, following a trial of the 280 character limit, Aliza Rosen, a product manager at Twitter, explained: ‘We – and many of you – were concerned that timelines may fill up with 280 character Tweets, and people with the new limit would always use up the whole space. But that didn’t happen.

‘Only 5% of Tweets sent were longer than 140 characters and only 2% were over 190 characters.

‘As a result, your timeline reading experience should not substantially change, you’ll still see about the same amount of Tweets in your timeline.’ 

WHO HAS TWITTER BANNED IN THE PAST?

Twitter announced in November 2017 it would begin banning accounts affiliated with ‘hate groups’.

In March, former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson was banned for violating hate speech rules

The news followed years of criticism from users that the site allowed neo-nazi, white supremacist and other extremist groups to spread abusive messages.

Twitter suspended the accounts of several leaders of the far-right group Britain First in December 2017 for breaking its rules on hate speech.

In March 2018, former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson was banned for violating rules governing ‘hateful conduct’.

The site announced it would soon undertake stronger measures to crack down on online trolls in May.

Despite sweeping bans, the site has come under criticism for not doing enough to purge itself of abusive users.

In July 2018, actor Seth Rogan lashed out at Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for continuing to verify the accounts of white supremacists.

He tweeted: ‘I’ve been DMing with @Jack about his bizarre need to verify white supremacists on his platform for the last 8 months or so, and after all the exchanges, I’ve reached a conclusion: the dude simply does not seem to give a f**k.’