Twitter is making it easier for users to tweet at one another, share photos and post videos by announcing plans to loosen its 140-character tweet limit. It’s a move long overdue.
No longer will retweets, reply usernames or rich media, such as Gifs and polls, count against tweet limits. Although the company is receiving praise for the decision, many experts are also criticizing that the change should’ve happened months if not years ago.
The social network said this change will roll out “in the coming months” and will allow users to do more with the content they post. It’s a move in the right direction for Twitter, but it’s also indicative of just how far the social network has fallen behind, according to several experts.
While Twitter is boasting about the ability to post more photos without writing less text, Facebook and Google are both heavily investing in virtual reality technology. The two companies are preparing their services for what is widely expected to be the next wave of social sharing content, such as 360-degree photos and videos.
Snapchat, meanwhile, has quietly distinguished itself over the past few months as the leader in user-generated augmented reality content, with numerous features that let users record themselves with computer-generated masks and special effects.
Snapchat “gives us ahead of time what it is we want without us having to ask for it,” said Lizza Monet Morales, a popular personality on Snapchat, Periscope and other social networks. “Twitter has, unfortunately, not done that.”
Making matters worse, Wall Street has taken notice of Twitter’s lack of innovation and resistance to change. Reacting to the character limit news on Tuesday, Twitter’s stock price actually fell more than 2 percent, hitting a new low of $14.03. (By the close of Friday, it had climbed to $15.05.)
“A big part of the problem has been their adherence to the 140-character limit and that is finally being addressed,” said Phil Davis, CEO of PhilStockWorld.com. “Hopefully this is the first of many moves that Twitter will make in modernizing their platform and catching up to competitors.”
Fortunately for shareholders, it seems Twitter is aware of its troubles. In its blog post on Tuesday, the company touted the many ways it has added more forms of rich media in the past year, including integrating Periscope live-stream broadcasts onto the Twitter service.
The company is also keeping its sense of humor, apparently. When reached for comment, the company declined to write a written response, choosing instead to send an animated Gif of a dancing corgi.
For Twitter, changes like Tuesday’s character limit tweak are vital to drawing more users and attracting content creators and marketers. Although Twitter currently touts a user base of 310 million users, content creators and marketers need tools with which they can reach and engage that audience more effectively.
“What is unique and cool about Twitter is also what handcuffs them. A 140-character limit was arbitrarily conceived of and the idea was to make things brief in real time,” said Joe Hyland, chief marketing officer of On24, a video marketing company. “To convey anything unique marketers need real estate, they need space, they need a canvas.”
45 Hollywood Social Media Stars: Periscope, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram (Photos)
Ellen DeGeneres on Periscope: Along with offering up some fun behind-the-scenes content, DeGeneres has promoted the Periscope app on her show and encouraged audience participation.
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Dwayne Johnson on Periscope: The Rock was an early user of the app and played up Periscope to promote the “Furious 7” movie premieres.
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Josh Malina on Periscope: The “Scandal” star (also known for his work on “The West Wing” and “Sports Night”) has earned lots of love by engaging in AMAs on Periscope from his home office, plus taking people on a tour of the “Scandal” set, featuring his co-stars.
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Aaron Paul on Periscope: While not the most active user, he delivered one of the most talked about live streams on Periscope.
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Adam Shapiro and Cristela Alonzo on Periscope: Shapiro was an early Periscope adopter, streaming live from the “Scandal” set with his wife Katie Lowes. The charismatic comedian then teamed up with costar Alonzo to connect with fans and build buzz for the season finale of ABC’s “Cristela” using the hashtag #CristelaShappyPeriscopeParty.
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Chris Sacca & Matt Mazzeo, Lowercase Capital on Periscope: The L.A.-based early stage investors have been busy answering tech investing questions all around town, be it the beach or a hackathon at UCLA, in addition to Mazzeo’s morning talk show with coffee klatch partner Abby Chambers.
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Shonda Rhimes on Periscope: The Shondaland creator tweeted, "Just tested out #Periscope for the first time. Live streaming from my office. Back to writing." Find her at ShondaRhimes.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger on Periscope: Arnie was one of the first celebs to join Periscope, and now already has 11,455 followers. He is also big on Snapchat. Find him at Schwarzenegger.
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Tyra Banks on Periscope: The model/actress has been smizing (smiling with your eyes) on Twitter's live-streaming platform.
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Mario Batali on Periscope: Batali was one of the first celebrities granted early access to the platform with a beta version.
Sophia Bush on Periscope: The "One Tree Hill" alum was one of the first celebrities granted early access to the platform with a beta version.
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Mark Cuban, mcuban, on Periscope: Cuban was one of the first celebrities granted early access to the platform with a beta version.
Rihanna on Snapchat: There have been Snapchat accounts masquerading as the singer for years but Rihanna didn’t officially join the platform until April. Since then, RiRi, her entourage and a couple of troll dolls have been featured in the disappearing snaps. The singer is a reluctant subject at times but always entertaining.
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Cody Simpson, CodySimpson, on Snapchat: His Snapchat account recently came under fire for allegedly exposing his girlfriend doing drugs. But more traditional snaps feature the laid-back artist performing, surfing or spending time at the beach with friends.
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Hailee Steinfeld, HaileeSteinfeld, on Snapchat: Steinfeld is best known to movie fans for 2010’s “True Grit,” for which the teen was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. But the LA-native and star in the upcoming “Pitch Perfect 2” is also an avid Snapchat fan who shares behind the scenes snaps from on set via her own account and from the movie’s marketing account with “Pitch Perfect 2” costar Chrissie Fit.
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Jared Leto on Snapchat: Leto communicates regularly with fans across multiple social platforms, teasing the reveal of his “Suicide Squad” haircut on Twitter and Instagram recently. The actor’s championed Snapchat’s crude drawing tool, using the app to scribble messages and ask for fan feedback. But he’s best known for his psychedelic snaps. Whether at an awards show in Hollywood or on tour in Russia with his band Thirty Seconds to Mars, the Oscar winner’s specialty is decorating his Snapchat selfies with neon war paint. Follow him at jaredleto.
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Ryan Seacrest on Snapchat: Seacrest’s unique access to Hollywood’s hottest events and biggest stars is reflected on Snapchat much like it is online and on-air. Follow him at ryanseacrest.
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Nev Schulman, nevschulman, on Snapchat: The TV host and self-described social media addict spends less time on Snapchat promoting his show than he does offering followers an authentic and unscripted window into his personal life.
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Shay Mitchell on Snapchat: The young actress is in the sweet spot for Snapchat’s demo, attracting young fans to her mix of on-set snaps and attractive selfies. And as the only one of the four PLL female leads active on Snapchat, her behind-the-scenes snaps are especially coveted for their exclusive access. Find her at shaymitch.
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Keegan Allen on Snapchat: Allen, best known as heartthrob Toby Cavanaugh on the show, offers fans an inside look at the making of the series. But Allen’s also used his social clout on Snapchat to promote his own career as a photographer and recently published a book of his work, “life.love.beauty.”
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Kevin Jonas on Snapchat: He’s used Snapchat himself for everything from behind the scenes snapshots while taping “Celebrity Apprentice” and screen time with influencers like Shonduras and Casey Neistat to a dentist visit and baby photos of daughter Alena.
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Diplo on Snapchat: Recently, he used the app to tease a collaboration with Skrillex (aka skrilloo on Snapchat) and Missy Elliott and also shares candid snaps from the road turning a recent trip to South America into a Snapchat travelogue.
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Fifth Harmony on Snapchat: The group formed on the second season of The X Factor has posted performances, fan encounters and rehearsal selfies. They’ve also used the platform to mobilize their Harmonizer fan base around the group’s first studio album, “Reflection,” using the mobile platform to officially announce the album’s track list before its February 3 debut.
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Brett Eldredge/Luke Bryan on Snapchat: The country singers get honorable mention as snapper newbies. They each announced their Snapchat accounts on March 9. Eldredge has used the mobile app to show his off his silly side, engaging in a staring contest with followers and posting snaps of his puppies. Bryan held a Snapchat scavenger hunt, hiding swag in a cooler in the sand at Panama Beach City for fans to find.
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Anna Kendrick on Twitter: When she’s not shooting off self-deprecating zingers or sharing her food porn proclivities, the “Pitch Perfect” star loves a live TV event (looking at you NBC). She’s so fast and funny, you half-expect her to reveal a writing team behind each tweet.
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Zach Braff on Twitter: Things you can’t miss if you follow Braff on Twitter: There isn’t a selfie he doesn’t like, “Scrubs” lives on and the bromance with Donald Faison will last forever. And, like so many stars, he loves a live musical TV event.
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Billy Eichner on Twitter: In one subtweet, Eichner manages to skewer the entire TV musical genre and pin it all on “Sound of Music” sweetheart Carrie Underwood.
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Will Wheaton on Twitter: Comedy Central owes the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star a paycheck, benefits and a yearly bonus. When Wheaton isn’t guesting on friend Chris Hardwick’s internet-themed improv show “@Midnight,” he’s racking up points and retweets playing the show’s hashtag games like #XmasAMovie or #StonerSports. Will gets our vote as a very punny guy.
William Shatner on Twitter: The onetime Captain Kirk is just as likely to be found live-tweeting CW or SyFy dramas as engaging in Twitter feuds or railing over his pet peeve: Twitter’s verified accounts.
Mia Farrow on Twitter: Farrow is as likely to tweet about the “Sound of Music Live” and “Peter Pan Live” as she is about civil rights, global injustice or tune-in alerts for son Ronan Farrow’s MSNBC show.
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Josh Groban on Twitter: In between concert updates, a lot of dog tweets and flirting with Twitter friends like Anna Kendrick and Michael Buble, Groban spoke for us all when he praised staged-for-TV musicals as a great American holiday tradition.
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Judge Reinhold on Twitter: The “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” star can’t seem to post enough #TBT (Throwback Thursday) snapshots. But he gets a special mention for pulling this 1982 headgear shot out of the archives and comparing himself to Christopher Walken during NBC’s live musical event, “Peter Pan Live.”
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Jerome Jarre on Snapchat: In 2014, he was the fourth most followed individual on Vine, and in 2013, he co-founded GrapeStory, a talent agency for Vine and Snapchat stars.
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Shaun McBride on Snapchat: Known by his username, Shonduras, he became famous for his art work, and he is making thousands of dollars in advertising deals.
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Sanjay Gupta on Periscope: CNN's doctor brought Periscope into Surgery with him.
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Jimmy Fallon on Snapchat: The Tonight Show has started posting their line-up for their upcoming shows to their Snapchat users, with artsy drawings and graphics.
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Tony Reali on Snapchat: He often takes over Good Morning America's Snapchat, and even live snapped/chatted Taylor Swift's concert in 2014.
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Carson Daly on Periscope: Daly will often tweet that he is live streaming using Periscope, whether it's backstage at The Today Show or at The Voice.
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David Beckham on Facebook: The soccer player has 50,654,657 likes on Facebook, posting personal pictures and videos. Also, Beckham just became an instagram user a couple of days ago.
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Vin Diesel on Facebook: Mashable called him the second most popular person on Facebook after President Obama. Currently, he has 91,714,170 likes, and is known to his followers as authentic.
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Shakira on Facebook: The singer has 100,233,197 likes on her Facebook page, making her the most-liked celebrity on this platform.
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Justin Bieber on Twitter: Bieber has the second-highest following on Twitter, after Katy Perry, with 63.3 million followers.
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Kim Kardashian on Instagram: The reality star is evidently one of the most followed Instagram users, with a total of 31.5 million followers. Her wedding photo with Kanye West was also the most liked instagram photo of all time.
Marcus Johns on Periscope: Johns already enjoys celebrity status inside the Twitter ecosystem, thanks to his popular Vine account. Some of his entertaining streams have included aerobic dancing on Hollywood Blvd in fluorescent green shorts.
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Amanda Oleander on Periscope: A Los Angeles-based artist, Oleander quickly became one of Periscope’s most popular personalities. “I was surprised. I have never been really popular on any other social media app,” Oleander told TheWrap in an interview. She says her streams are focused around motivational talks, exploring Los Angeles and connecting with her audience.
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Twitter, Periscope and Snapchat stars top the list of our favorite social media users
Ellen DeGeneres on Periscope: Along with offering up some fun behind-the-scenes content, DeGeneres has promoted the Periscope app on her show and encouraged audience participation.
Warner Bros.
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