Article 1H8QA Twitter gives in to narcissists with self-retweeting feature

Twitter gives in to narcissists with self-retweeting feature

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HAL 90210
from Technology | The Guardian on (#1H8QA)

Social network drops the dot-@, usernames and attachments from the 140-character limit while also allowing users to retweet their own tweets

Twitter has finally given into its true nature and allowed users to retweet themselves, cementing itself as the mother of all self-reinforcing echo chambers.

No longer will users have to rely on others to amplify their views through their retweets of other people's posts - they can now merrily retweet their own opinions no one asked for, no third-party needed.

The social network has been accused of being a filter bubble, packed to the gills with narrow-minded and self-obsessed clones, which is now more true than ever.

Self retweets even count towards the total retweet tally too, making self-retweeters feel even more self-gratifed.

At the same time, @-messages will show up for everyone who follows a particular feed, not just the recipient and people who follow both the tweeter and the recipient, which means the .@ (dot-@) can be relegated to the digital dustbin in the sky.

Tweets made in direct reply to previous tweets starting with an @-reply will remain using the old system, however, so your feed won't be filled with back and fourth conversations unless you follow both recipients.

Twitter has also removed usernames and attachments from the 140-character limit, although URLs still count.

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