Twitter offers hot takes and other status tags

While Facebook tries desperately to become TikTok, Twitter is taking us back to a bygone social media era, before we even knew it as social media. 

According to TechCrunch, Twitter is testing status messages for tweets, available to select from a pre-determined list of options, such as Vacation Mode or Hot Take.  

"For a limited time, we are testing a feature that allows you to add a status topic from a predetermined list to your Tweets to provide more context for your followers," Twitter said in a statement. 

"So whether you are about to drop a hot Tweet thread, share your shower thoughts, or have a bad case of the Mondays, your Tweets can better convey what you are up to." 

Twitter says the test is running for selected users in America and Australia but declined to give the size of the group. 

As you can see from the tweet below, the statuses appear under the name of the user. Clicking on the badge shows users who tweeted about the same thing. 

(Be warned: "Case of the Mondays" as a tag has some NSFW material.) 

Back to the future 

It's a neat idea and we quite like it, especially as it adds a bit of spice to the timeline and helps signal the intent of some tweets.

But the main reason is nostalgic. Anyone who has grown up with social media post-Facebook didn't get to experience the pure joy of chatting on MSN and setting a status message for everyone to see.

Trying out new things helps keep these huge social platforms more fresh, which is only a good thing for those of us who spend so much time there. 

• Best phones: the very best smartphones to buy