Twitter knows the edit button is the most requested feature online and the company is now using it to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.
In a tweet shared Thursday, the social media site wrote: ‘You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask.’
The post has since been shared over 650,000 times and some users appear to be excited, while others oppose the idea of wearing a mask saying they would ‘rather not suffocate.’
However, the company used the ‘get out of clause’ by stating ‘everyone,’ revealing that the feat may be impossible to accomplish.
You can have an edit button when everyone wears a mask
— Twitter (@Twitter) July 2, 2020
Two years prior, the firm came under fire when he first mentioned the feature, as many pointed out that it could be used to change the meaning of tweets already shared.
However, earlier this year Wired asked Dorsey if there will be an edit button for Twitter in 2020, which he replied ‘The answer is no.’
He explains that tweets were originally sent via SMS and you cannot recall a text once it is sent, which is why the company never added the option.
However, now the social media site is omitting the feature in a bid to ‘preserve the vibe’ of the original design.
There are good reasons for editing tweets, Dorsey says, like fixing typos and broken links, but also malicious applications, like editing content to mislead people.
And although it is the most requested feature, Twitter does not seem to be giving in to its users.
‘As Twitter Comms Tweeted, everyone means everyone,’ a spokesperson told CNN Business. ‘Nothing further to add beyond this!’
The tweet comes at a time when the coronavirus is still running rampant in the US.
At least seven states are seeing record spikes in cases, highlighting the worsening spread of the virus in the country’s southern and western regions and prompting officials to roll back their reopening plans.
More than 2.6million people in the US have already been struck down with the disease — a quarter of the world’s total infections. And at least 128,000 citizens have died since the crisis spiraled out of control.
Twitter teasing the edit button in exchange for people wearing masks may be due to the fact that many Americans are protesting the recommendation.
One Twitter user responded saying she would ‘rather not suffocate’ than have an edit button.
Others have attacked the platform with claims of bias and silencing their voices.
However, some users are welcoming the challenge and calling on everyone to wear a mask.
