Big News For Twitter's Video Capabilities

June has been a remarkable month for the tech world — with the Snapchat update, Facebook Live gaining traction, and a host of new emojis coming to our phones, it seems Christmas has come early this year. Now Twitter is joining the party, rolling out a whole bunch of exciting updates TODAY, including Twitter Engage, a mobile video app that will help creators monitor and manage their audience engagement. So, this summer get pumped to take social media by storm!

The first thing you will notice when you enter the Twitter-sphere this Tuesday is that you now have the ability to share longer videos. Video uploads were previously capped at 30 seconds, but as of today all users can create and share videos on Twitter up to 140 seconds long. You're welcome, America.

Sure, there is a pleasant equilibrium that posts are either 140 characters or 140 seconds long. But why is Twitter choosing to quadruple their videos’ length now when the platform is in essence all about brevity?

"Video is becoming increasingly central to the real-time conversations happening on Twitter," Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said in a press release. "We're investing heavily in videos and creators. We want to be the best place for creators and influencers to build an audience and make it easier for creators to make money on Twitter, and soon Vine."

Twitter reports having seen a 50 percent increase in video tweets since the start of this year. Now it's time for the little blue bird to throwing its hat in the ring along with Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, focusing on a more video-centric platform. This update allows a select group of creators to promote longer videos on Vine as well (increasing the original six second Vine to 140 seconds).

But not only will you be able to watch longer videos, Twitter is also updating its video browsing, making it easier to find related content. Soon Twitter users will be able to click on a video tweet in their timeline, and immediately watch it full-screen within the app. On this separate page, related and promoted videos and vines will be suggested in a queue below. Beware as this will make it almost too easy to go on a video watching spree when you were supposed to be finishing an article — whoops!

For celebs and creators, Twitter has streamlined the process of post monetization and audience management with the iOS app Twitter Engage (downloadable today). The Twitter blog describes it as a tool that "provides real-time data and insights, allowing you to quickly understand, engage, and grow your audiences."

The app promises an easier way to manage daily interaction, and connect with fans. It amasses all the user data in one place (so you don't have to scroll around your feed for hours till your index finger has gone numb) and keeps you up-to-date on your tweet's important mentions by influential followers or those you interact with frequently. It also provides users with analytics including specific number of views per tweet, account performance, and audience demographics. Get ready for a whole new way to manage your Twitter... boy, this would sure be fun to play with if I had a few more followers! (Womp.)

Images: Geoffroy_Baud/Unsplash, Twitter, Twitter Video, TwitterEngage/iTunes