For those who are somehow unaware, Twitter (now X) limits the size of its posts to 280 characters. It used to be 140, pushing folks to their creative limits, but now users will just chain tweets together in a thread if they really feel like putting a lot of text on Twitter. However, in general, the concise nature of Twitter/X still remains its main draw.

It is also a place many people go to hear from their favorite writers and comedians because, surprise surprise, the character limits actually help foster creativity. Creatives are known for overthinking, but not a lot of space for endless edits in 280 characters.

That’s not an exaggeration, some researchers even suggest purposefully setting yourself limits. Look at it this way, many people suffer from a specific form of perfectionism, where they sit on a project that is essentially done because they can’t set a “finish line” for themselves. If you are a fan of an author who takes forever to publish a sequel, you might have encountered this.

This is often why creative projects need a manager, because, if it’s not just a passion project or a hobby, there have to be deadlines, otherwise nothing ends up getting done. Twitter is a microcosm of this, the character limits, the quick, free form setting actually helps people be creative and funny.

As sad as it may sound, freedom is important, but it’s also entirely possible to end up being paralyzed by decisions and options. There has to be a balance. After all, some creative endeavors are clearly so tied down in focus-group suggestions and budget limitations that the end product ends up being terrible.

Humor itself requires limitations, it needs boundaries. Comedy works when it subverts your expectations or misdirects us. For that to work, there have to be expectations that the comedian is working within in the first place.

Of course, Twitter is also known for being the place with the most inane debate and discussions one can imagine. If you think your Facebook comments section is bad, you have yet to see a truly toxic argument in a tweet’s replies. It makes the things folks text to each other in anger look tame and mild.