Twitter says it has been working on an edit button and will test the feature in the coming months.
Twitter disclosed this on Tuesday after users voted 73-to-27 to have an edit button coded into the microblogging platform.
One unique attribute of the app is the finality of posts thereon, where tweets can’t be edited after they are put out.
Oftentimes, users either resort to deleting outright or sub-tweeting corrections if an error is spotted in their posts.
Many users have argued the feature is an accountability mechanism in the context of Twitter’s high virality potential.
In 2018, Jack Dorsey, former Twitter CEO, said the firm would “probably never” add the feature over transparency.
However, Twitter’s rival social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have already allowed users to edit their posts, albeit, including a note to show a post has been edited and providing the edit history of the same.
On April 1, Twitter said it was working on an edit button in a tweet taken for a prank.
we are working on an edit button
— Twitter (@Twitter) April 1, 2022
Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman, thereafter, started a poll on Monday after disclosing that he now owns a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter, which made him the firm’s biggest shareholder and preceded his appointment to Twitter’s board.
The poll has already attracted over four million votes, with those who voted “yes” scoring a staggering 73 percent.
Do you want an edit button?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 5, 2022
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Parag Agrawal, Twitter’s chief executive, also urged users to “vote carefully.”
The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully. https://t.co/UDJIvznALB
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 5, 2022
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Jay Sullivan, head of consumer product at Twitter, confirmed the edit button has been in the works since 2021.
Sullivan added that users of Twitter Blue, the platform’s subscription service, will get early access to test the feature.
Users will be able to fix typos or errors in a tweet without losing any replies, retweets, or likes it has already gained.
“We’ve been exploring how to build an edit feature in a safe manner since last year and plan to begin testing it within Twitter Blue Labs in the coming months. Sharing a few more insights on how we’re thinking,” Sullivan wrote.
2/ Edit has been the most requested Twitter feature for many years. People want to be able to fix (sometimes embarrassing) mistakes, typos and hot takes in the moment. They currently work around this by deleting and tweeting again.
— Jay Sullivan (@jaysullivan) April 5, 2022
“Edit has been the most requested Twitter feature for many years. People want to be able to fix mistakes, typos and hot takes in the moment. They currently work around this by deleting and tweeting again.
“Without things like time limits, controls, and transparency about what has been edited, Edit could be misused to alter the record of the public conversation.
“Protecting the integrity of that public conversation is our top priority when we approach this work.”
Speaking on the edit button on Tuesday, Twitter said it did not get the idea from the poll set up by Musk.
now that everyone is asking…
yes, we’ve been working on an edit feature since last year!
no, we didn’t get the idea from a poll 😉
we're kicking off testing within @TwitterBlue Labs in the coming months to learn what works, what doesn’t, and what’s possible.
— Twitter Comms (@TwitterComms) April 5, 2022
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