Here's What Real People Actually Want From Twitter
Twitter's best features have come from its users. Here's what they want now.
Gif by Shmorky based on a drawing by Natasha Allegri
Just now Twitter announced its latest earnings report. This is a thing that Twitter has to do now that it's a public company and, let's be honest, the first couple of these were a bit fraught. The problem: Twitter had and continues to have a growth problem.
Some attribute this to the steep learning curve of Twitter's "onboarding" process and the amount of time and energy required for a user to build a feed that they want to come back to. It's not that there's a lack of interest in Twitter, it's that users aren't exactly sure how to proceed once they've created an account. To fix this, Twitter's done everything from executive shakeups to releasing a slew of new product updates that have included an instant, pre-fab timeline, and even (gasp!) inserting a few tweets it thinks you might like into your feed.
Twitter is a strange bird. Many of Twitter's defining features and quirks were invented by its users including hashtags, retweets, and the recently adopted tweetstorms. Twitter is starting to listen, too. Users have been calling for group DMs for years and the company finally added them last week. And just yesterday, an internal memo from CEO Dick Costolo demonstrated his deep dissatisfaction with the way the company deals with harassment, a statement that echoes the frustrations that countless users have expressed for years.
WIth that in mind, we turned back to Twitter's greatest innovation lab — its everyday users — to see what their hopes and dreams are for the service. So as not to put them on the spot (the best ideas happen when no one's looking) we culled them straight from the network themselves. And the results of this unwitting survey are pretty solid.
More Protection For Users:
I wish Twitter would introduce having a warning on explicit images that you need to click on before you can view it.
Iain@BeaIe_Follow
I wish Twitter would introduce having a warning on explicit images that you need to click on before you can view it.
6:38 AM - 05 Feb 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Get rid of spam more efficiently:
I wish Twitter would take people fake followers away like they did on Instagram lol
Mr.Lavish️️‼️@TayLavish_Follow
I wish Twitter would take people fake followers away like they did on Instagram lol
6:24 PM - 27 Jan 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Better user analytics:
I wish Twitter would show how many times people have checked out your account. And who. Just curious.
waiting for album 3@lovatoslilmixFollow
I wish Twitter would show how many times people have checked out your account. And who. Just curious.
5:22 AM - 05 Feb 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
I wish tweets had views like snap chat does
Carly Deranja@carlydeeeFollow
I wish tweets had views like snap chat does
11:24 PM - 21 Apr 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
Better Spam Police:
I wish twitter would delete all the fake accounts, just like insta did 😒
Rhiannon Smith@rhirhismith7Follow
I wish twitter would delete all the fake accounts, just like insta did
11:31 AM - 06 Jan 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Better GIF Support:
I wish @Twitter would let us use gifs as headers. 🙌
™@iamdruryFollow
I wish @Twitter would let us use gifs as headers.
2:56 AM - 31 Dec 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
I wish twitter would still allow gifs as icons i'd snatch the hell out of this
✨@coldplaygrandeFollow
I wish twitter would still allow gifs as icons i'd snatch the hell out of this
2:46 PM - 14 Jan 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
I wish you could save gifs from Twitter 🔥
Ciara \(^_^)/@kera_daltonFollow
I wish you could save gifs from Twitter
3:34 PM - 05 Feb 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
More personal information:
I wish Twitter had a relationship status.
¥ves Saint Capone@StSosvFollow
I wish Twitter had a relationship status.
11:49 AM - 05 Feb 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Twitter After Dark:
I wish twitter had an 18 plus option
Lostboy@50ShadesofBraiFollow
I wish twitter had an 18 plus option
1:02 AM - 02 Feb 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Clandestine Twitter:
Sometimes I wish Twitter had an anon message thing
bitch u guessed it@menswearafFollow
Sometimes I wish Twitter had an anon message thing
11:00 AM - 01 Feb 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Built in ego-check:
All verified twitter accounts should have a sentence in their bio explaining why the fuck I should know them.
Samwell Tarly@SamTarly_Follow
All verified twitter accounts should have a sentence in their bio explaining why the fuck I should know them.
10:17 PM - 15 Mar 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
Read Reciepts:
I wish Twitter had the setting to see if someone read your dms
kanye@dragqueenzjmFollow
I wish Twitter had the setting to see if someone read your dms
10:57 PM - 27 Jan 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
I wish twitter had that seen thingy in the dms so we can really see if someone saw our dm
⠀⠀tricia@potatodallasFollow
I wish twitter had that seen thingy in the dms so we can really see if someone saw our dm
4:07 AM - 22 Jan 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Voice messages:
I wish you could put like audio message things on twitter I'd be so entertained
D@darieeeeeenalvaFollow
I wish you could put like audio message things on twitter I'd be so entertained
8:48 PM - 03 Feb 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
NO.
I wish you could poke people on Twitter
Alyssa Light@IAmAlyssaLightFollow
I wish you could poke people on Twitter
5:50 AM - 15 Jan 15ReplyRetweetFavorite
Whoa.
I wish you could use twitter without internet
jo☣@KlNGNJHFollow
I wish you could use twitter without internet
8:21 PM - 27 Dec 14ReplyRetweetFavorite
Twitter...... without....... i n t e r n e t .......
Anyway, food for thought.
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Charlie Warzel is a Senior Technology Writer for BuzzFeed News and is based in Missoula, Montana
Contact Charlie Warzel at charlie.warzel@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
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Katie Notopoulos is a senior reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York. Notopoulos writes about tech and internet culture and is cohost of the Internet Explorer podcast.
Contact Katie Notopoulos at katie@buzzfeed.com.
