Twitter has officially confirmed that it is working on an edit button, and the feature will be trialed in the coming months to see “what’s possible”.
It’s pretty fair to say that it’s been one of the most-demanded features since the social media application was first founded, and now, Twitter has finally confirmed what users have been waiting all this time for – the ability to amend already-published tweets via an edit button is in the works, and trials are soon to start.
Twitter first appeared to reveal it was working on the feature in a viral tweet on April Fool’s day last week, but users understandably brushed it aside and presumed it must just have just been a joke given the date.
But now, it seems like there was truth in it all along.
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The announcement that the function is now in the works came after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk – who is now Twitter’s single biggest shareholder, after buying a 9.2% stake in the company worth almost $3 billion earlier this week – sent out a poll on the platform asking users if they wanted an edit button.
More than 4.4 million people responded to his question, with 73.6% voting for the function and 26.4% voting against it.
Twitter’s communications department took to the platform yesterday to announce that an edit function is planned and currently being worked on, however, it has denied that this is as a result of Musk’s question poll.
“Now that everyone is asking… yes, we’ve been working on an edit feature since last year.” Twitter said.
“No, we didn’t get the idea from a poll we’re kicking off testing within @TwitterBlue Labs in the coming months to learn what works, what doesn’t, and what’s possible.”
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As confirmed by Twitter, the edit function will first be trialed by Twitter Blue users – which is the platform’s premium monthly subscription service that operates in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with users paying to get access to premium features and app customisations.
No word has been given as to whether the trial will be rolled-out to other users in due course.
The company’s head of consumer product, Jay Sullivan, said an edit button has been the “most requested Twitter feature for many years”.
He explained that people “want to be able to fix (sometimes embarrassing) mistakes, typos and hot takes in the moment,” however, there has been some concerns raised about how the edit function will work.
People are concerned over whether it’ll be “misused”.
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“Without things like time limits, controls, and transparency about what has been edited, Edit could be misused to alter the record of the public conversation,” Mr Sullivan said.
He continued: “Protecting the integrity of that public conversation is our top priority when we approach this work, therefore, it will take time and we will be actively seeking input and adversarial thinking in advance of launching Edit.
“We will approach this feature with care and thoughtfulness and we will share updates as we go.
“This is just one feature we are exploring as we work to give people more choice and control over their Twitter experience, foster a healthy conversation, and help people be more comfortable on Twitter.
“These are the things that motivate us every day.”
James Acaster reveals eerie song all Traitors contestants are forced to listen to before every roundtable
Emily Sergeant
James Acaster has revealed the eerie (and pretty surprising) song that all Traitors contestants are forced to listen to before every roundtable.
In case you’ve been living comfortably under a rock, you’ll probably be aware that comedian James Acaster is currently a contestant on this current season of BBC‘s smash-hit reality TV competition show, The Celebrity Traitors – a show that viewers in their millions are tuning into each week, with some big names on the cast.
Acaster is currently (spoiler alert… but it shouldn’t be at this point, we are several weeks in after all) one of three Traitors competing on the show, and he’s doing a pretty good job at it.
But we wonder how much of his success can be put down to the producers’ love of a certain song they like to play before every roundtable? Probably next to none, but it’s surprising to find out how much of an integral role the tune plays though.
The song we’re referring to here, it has been revealed, is ‘The Hanging Tree’ – a folk ballad made popular by The Hunger Games.
‘The Hanging Tree’, composed by James Newton Howard and Suzanne Collins, was famously sung by Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss Everdeen in the third instalment of the film franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
The lyrics are as follows:
Are you, are you Coming to the tree Where they strung up a man They say who murdered three? Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree
So, as you can see, the song does make reference to ‘murder’, which is a key part of The Traitors game (not real murder, of course), but even with that context, we’re still not sure why the producers are keen to play it out before every roundtable.
During a viral TikTok clip from an on-stage Q&A this week, Acaster revealed the song’s usage to the audience: “You all walk in silence down the corridor, and you all sit down, and they don’t announce it’s gonna happen.
“The first time this will completely blindside you, but they do it every single roundtable. They play that song from The Hunger Games, that ‘coming to the tree’ song. Like acapella, Jennifer Lawrence.”
He continued: “It was every f***ing time, it was the only song we heard the whole time we were in there, and all day I would have it in my head constantly, everyone would, I’d go ‘have you got coming to the tree in your head?’ and they’d go ‘yes, it’s in my head, again’.”
Viewers who watch the show may have spotted the song being played in the background or transition between certain scenes, but now it’s been revealed that the contestants hear it too.
Who would’ve thought?
Featured Image – Euan Cherry / BBC / Studio Lambert
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Tickets officially go on sale for rare 70mm IMAX screenings of Dune: Part Three in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Tickets have now officially gone on sale for rare 70mm IMAX screenings of Dune: Part Three in Manchester.
Arriving on screens from 18 December and gearing up to be one of the most anticipated films of the year, Dune: Part Three – which is the third and final instalment in director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise – will be screening in IMAX 70mm at Vue Manchester Printworks, one of only three venues to show it in this format nationwide.
There are only 40 other venues across the globe showing the film in IMAX 70mm, and Manchester is the only city outside of London to screen the blockbuster this way too.
Based on the novels of Frank Herbert and set nearly two decades after the previous film, Dune: Part Three features an ensemble cast of all-star names led by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.
Alongside them will be Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin.
After seats for a special early screening of the film in IMAX sold out in less than 30 minutes last month, the IMAX 70mm showings – which officially went live today (20 October) – are expected to be snapped up fast by film fans in Manchester.
“A decade in the making, Denis Villeneuve’s epic Dune trilogy is reaching its dramatic conclusion this December,” explained Dean Cross, who is the Senior Screen Content Manager at Vue.
“As the only venue outside of London to be screening Dune: Part Three in IMAX 70mm, it’s a privilege for us to offer this unique way to experience the film.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th April 2022 
