Twitter has introduced a new feature for its Blue subscribers that allows them to post tweets with a character limit of 4,000, an increase from the previous limit of 280 characters. The feature will initially be available only in the United States. The tweets will be capped at 280 characters in a user’s timeline for the purpose of avoiding excessive scrolling, with a “show more” prompt for users to click and read the full tweet.
Twitter Blue, the subscription service, provides users with a blue checkmark on their account and offers early access to various features such as editing tweets, longer video capabilities, NFT profile pictures, and custom app icons. Twitter has stated that while only Blue subscribers can post longer tweets, anyone can read them.
The launch of Twitter Blue was met with some turbulence as a wave of fake accounts with the blue checkmark parodied well-known individuals, public figures, and large companies. New Twitter accounts are unable to subscribe to Twitter Blue for 90 days after their creation.
The Twitter Blue subscription service was introduced by new owner Elon Musk following his $44 billion acquisition of the company in October, as a means to generate new revenue. Despite initial reports of the company losing $4 million per day, Elon Musk recently tweeted that the company is now in a stronger financial position.