Will Twitter Create it’s Own 5-Second Rule?

Are you the type of Tweet-er that rewrites your message four times and spell checks it, or do you quickly type something and never look back? If you said the latter, then you’re in luck. Jane Manchun Wong, a blogger known for revealing tech features that are in the works, tweeted about the potential of an undo feature on Twitter.

Social Media Giant vs. Users

The feature would work similarly to the unsend feature in Gmail, where you can take back your email after a set amount of seconds. Currently, the feature is being tested with a five second timer. Feedback detailed in a SocialMediaToday article mentions that the feature would be ineffective if the undo button pop-up covers the tweet, as seen above.

The article also discusses the back and forth between users and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in the past on the ability to edit a tweet. Many people have asked for editing power, but Dorsey says that it would disrupt “that real-time nature of the conversational flow.”

Think Before You Tweet

Is editing power what Twitter users really need right now, however? In a hyper-critical age where messages can be spread quickly and easily, such a feature could add a layer of protection that should not be needed. We should be reminded to think before we comment on something, whether it’s simply to check for typos or to rethink your words.

As more people are born with social media existing their entire lives, the line between online and in-person personas is blurring. It’s so easy to forget that what you say can be on display for the whole world to see, especially on a platform like Twitter that is so conversation-based. It doesn’t feel too different from a text message, which is how the platform originated.

You Can’t Put the Toothpaste Back In the Tube

The ability to delete a tweet should be enough, especially when you think about the fact that you can’t take back words once you say them in person. With the increasing conversation around the negative effects of social media on mental health, it seems more worth while for Twitter to focus on reminding people about the effects of their words before they tweet than to create a way to change them after the fact. Today, that seems like a reminder that is needed both online and offline.