There have been many Twitter users who want an edit button. Twitter does not seem to be interested in making one. Instead, Twitter confirmed to CNET that they are testing an “Undo Tweet” feature.
It appears that the first to discover the “Undo Tweet” feature is Jane Manchun Wong, who posted a tweet about it. She wrote: “Twitter is working on an app subscription for paid features like “Undo Tweet”. The tweet includes a screenshot that could be part of a form that a user could fill out to start a subscription.
What is the subscription for? The answer to the question is unclear. My best guess is that it has something to do with the Super Follow feature, which would allow users to access exclusive content from someone they want to follow. A person must pay money in order to Super Follow someone..
Jane Manchun Wong also posted a GIF of what looks like an “Undo” button that gives a user a very short amount of time in which to click it. Clicking “Undo” before the timer runs out appears to stop that tweet from posting live. No one will see it other than the user (and maybe someone who works for Twitter).
In my opinion, the “Undo Tweet” timer functions something like a “bad take” eraser. It could be really useful for brands that are about to post a snarky tweet that, on second thought, went too far. Politicians who have a bad habit of posting tweets that cause outrage could use the “Undo Tweet” feature to save themselves some problems.
The Verge reported that Twitter has not said if this feature will be limited to paying customers. I can see why Twitter would want to monetize the “Undo Tweet” feature as a way of generating revenue (along with the Super Follow and Revue features).
Providing it for free, for all users, would be a better way to go. It might persuade some people to actively think about what they are about to post, and give them the option to prevent the mean tweet from going live. I think the result could turn Twitter into a kinder, more introspective, social media platform.