Twitter limits posts to 140 characters, but Saudi Information Minister Abdulaziz Khoja wants more. Though he only joined Twitter last Thursday, Khoja hasn’t wasted time suggesting that Twitter double the character limit. He has said that limit is harsh given that he has much to say, and shouldn’t be limited to merely 140 characters. In one tweet, the minister called the character cap an “obstacle.”
Originally set for compatibility with SMS messaging, the 140-character limit has sparked debates between those in favor and opposed to the rule. Some argue that its brevity improves writing while others, like Khoja, maintain that the limit is too harsh.
With over 650 followers on Twitter, Khoja became the first Saudi Information Minister to employ social media when he joined the popular social networking site Facebook in 2009. Khoja said he joined Facebook to reach out to the Kingdom’s younger generation. In a country where forty percent of the population is under fourteen, this has proven to be a wise decision.
Twitter is unlikely to head Khoja’s recommendations. While not the first to make the case for expanding Twitter’s character limit, he remains among the few Arab politicians to make suggestions, let alone be a member, of Twitter.
You can check out the minister's twitter feed here.
