Twitter: From Text-Only to Multi-(Tweet)-Media?

July 29, 2010 - By Dieter Schweiss

Social media and technology website Mashable recently discovered a potential new feature for Twitter, the popular micro-blogging service. In an article entitled Twitter to Show Photos and Videos in the Stream, Mashable writer Ben Parr described a new option that he had stumbled across in his Twitter settings, tentatively called Tweet Media. In a screenshot from the article, the new setting had the following description:

“By default, you’ll only see images and videos shared by people you’re following, and reveal those by people you’re not. Check this box to see media from everyone on Twitter.”

Parr speculated that this potential new feature could signify a fundamental change in the Twitter experience for users. He later updated his article twice: initially to report that the new setting had been removed and then to include a statement from an anonymous source at Twitter, who stated:

“We’re constantly exploring features and settings. What you saw was a small test of a potential consumption setting for inline media. We show inline media on our own iPhone and Android apps.”

Is Tweet Media a good thing?

Similar articles from Fast Company (Twitter to Integrate Photos and Videos Into the Stream) and The Huffington Post (Tweet Media Could Put Photos, Video Into Your Twitter Stream) soon followed. Dan Nosowitz of Fast Company observed that:

“…adding embeddable media to the stream has the potential to complicate the traditionally simple, 140-characters-of-text aesthetic of the network. Of course, the contrary argument is that users already share photos and videos–they just have to waste precious characters on an external link to sites…”

Nosowitz prompted readers to state their opinions on this potential change to Twitter in his article’s comments section. Catharine Smith of The Huffington Post even went so far as to include a quick poll in her article, inviting readers to cast their vote for what they think the effect of inline media on Twitter feeds will be. As of 8:00 PM CST, on July 27, 2010, only one person had commented on the Fast Company article, and roughly 51% of respondents in the Huffington Post poll thought it would make the Twitter experience better, roughly 36% thought it would make it worse, and roughly 13% thought it would have no effect.

Is Twitter becoming more like Facebook?

While no one has seen the “inline media” feature in action, there is speculation that the photos and videos may be displayed in a Facebook-like fashion, such as shown in the image below:

Screenshot of an inline video (Facebook.com).

Another possibility is that the media may not be inline within a user’s Twitter stream:

Screenshot of a tweet from a user's Twitter stream (Twitter.com).

But in individual tweets:

Screenshot of a user's solo tweet (Twitter.com).

This behavior would be identical to how photos are already displayed inline within the Twitter mobile applications for iPhone and Android:

Screenshot of a user's solo tweet (Twitter for iPhone).

Chances are good that this latter behavior is the more likely course that Twitter will follow since they already display photos in this way, at least initially. Whether or not Twitter will eventually become more Facebook-like and display photos and videos within a user’s Twitter stream remains to be seen.

We will keep an eye on this potential, new feature for you and let you know if there are any developments in this ongoing story.