With Twitter recently going public, they are making changes to the platform. Because it’s being faced with the expectation to keep growing, the social giant is thinking about making some pretty serious changes to the dynamic of the platform. They are toying with the idea of removing, or “hiding,” the beloved “@” symbol. And have even thought about phasing out the hashtag. Several of the FSC team members feel strongly about these possible changes and here we give our opinions on the subject.
FSC’s Take: The Facebookification of Twitter
Andy: Look here, Twitter, do not do this. The @ reply is a signature of Twitter, and something that even non-Twitter users recognize. Frankly, I don’t think this will make using Twitter easier but potentially more confusing. Same goes for the hashtag. Just don’t do it, ok?
Brooke: I think this an interesting and potentially risky move on Twitter’s part. Both the @reply and the hashtag are truly what makes this social media channel unique. It’s interesting to me that Twitter has begun to roll out a new profile that looks almost identical to Facebook’s, and now this. I don’t mind the @replies so much, as the new Twitter image depicted in the article still makes it pretty clear who you are talking to, etc. I think removing hashtags would truly be a fail whale by Twitter, however. Hashtags are so much more than Twitter now, they are a part of our culture, as crazy as that sounds. Twitter should own that, as they developed it. This article doesn’t have me convinced that either are going away, at least not anytime soon, so until then, I will rest easy.
Kate: This doesn’t seem like such a great idea. All of this things that make Twitter unique seem to be disappearing. I don’t want another Facebook. So keep it the way it is. It’s worked for years, why change it if it isn’t broken?
Valerie: As someone who has tried to explain Twitter to my dad, aunt and cousin to help them get acclimated to the social network, I can understand how a lot of the language and social ‘rules’ can be intimidating. I love Twitter, so I appreciate the desire to make it more inviting to a wider group of people. Changing Replies to look more sleek, but still allowing the function of commenting on someone’s Tweet? Fantastic! It looks nice and I don’t think it will take long to get used to. BUT Twitter: DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take away my hashtags. #addicted #ItsAWayOfLife
Margaux: Twitter has set the standard for how we communicate with each other on social media, as well as how we evaluate valuable comments and conversations on social. I know that there’s been lots of talk about Twitter needing to make updates in order to stay relevant and ensure growth now that they’re public, but Twitter, in my opinion, is still the most important social network out there. Both culturally and functionally, hashtags and @ replies are mainstays. Plus, nearly every other social media platform has adopted one or both of these features, so by doing away with them, they’ll ultimately just be making all of our lives harder. Not #cool, @Twitter.
Mallory: The Facebookification of Twitter? Seems like they’re trying to dumb things down to make it more marketable to the masses. (Does this mean Instagram will be next?!? Say it ain’t so.)
