Twitter has finally acknowledged users’ appeal for an edit button. After 12 years since its inception, the social media giant tweeted it is working on an edit button in a tweet on April 1, except this time, it wasn’t a joke. They confirmed the addition of this feature on Tuesday and Elon Musk might have a little to do with it.
we are working on an edit button
— Twitter (@Twitter) April 1, 2022
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has bought a considerable stake worth $3 billion in the company. Owning about 9.2 percent of the company, Musk becomes Twitter’s biggest stakeholder and has more stake than founder Jack Dorsey with only a 2.3 percent stake. Musk tweeted a poll on Tuesday asking whether users required an edit button; and unsurprising, 73.6 percent voted ‘yes’. Twitter said it would start testing the idea in the coming months. Despite the company’s communications team stating they didn’t get the idea from the poll in a tweet confirming the feature, CEO Parag Agarwal’s retweet says otherwise.
The consequences of this poll will be important. Please vote carefully. https://t.co/UDJIvznALB
— Parag Agrawal (@paraga) April 5, 2022
Twitter started experimenting with the tweet-editing option last year and will test it out in Twitter Blue Labs, the premium subscription product where they try out new features.
While a majority voted for the edit button on the poll, the remaining users are concerned about managing misinformation and harassment on a social network already dealing with differences in political opinions. Founder Jack Dorsey had rejected the idea, and critics point out how users can change the meaning of tweets after sharing to befit them.
Many did. They trusted him saying “Doge to the moon” claiming it to be “the future currency”.
He’d claimed the same about Crypto then ceased to accept it for Tesla purchases. He’s convinced many to buy his cars without knowing how much they’d be paying once their batteries bust.— Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (@kwikiapu) April 5, 2022
Several Twitter users are also concerned about Musk’s involvement interrupting freedom of speech and expression on the platform. Addressing this Musk tweeted “Free speech is essential to a functioning democracy. Do you believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?” And then asked if a new platform was needed. Elon Musk, now the world’s richest man, is also an avid tweeter and has been outspoken about Twitter limiting his freedom of speech while battling against the Securities and Exchange Commission after they curbed his tweets. Meanwhile, Twitter users speculate about Musk’s vendetta, leading him to use his money to become a board member and inevitably have a say in the company’s operations.
