Twitter: Cute stickers for photos could be on their way

With Twitter’s user growth somewhat stuck in the mud, the company needs some smart ideas to get things on an upward trajectory and calm the nerves of increasingly concerned investors.

So how about cute stickers?

The social media service is currently looking into the idea of letting users jazz up their images in a bid to increase engagement with the app and possibly pull in new users, according to information obtained by Re/code.

The feature, if launched, could help the app appeal to a younger demographic, or simply serve to bring it in line with other messaging and social networking apps that have long offered stickers to users.

In a note to its test group, Twitter says its stickers let you “personalize your photos and connect with users around the world.”

Curiously, it says that besides adding stickers to photos, you’ll also be able to “see how other users from around the world have edited the same photo.” It also says the app will “suggest photos that you can edit and post to participate in trending conversations and breaking news,” though there’s no information on how Twitter will obtain those images.

Twitter wouldn’t confirm its sticker plan to Re/code, saying only, “We’re always researching potential new ways to make Twitter more expressive.”

The company has worked hard in recent years to push images front and center on its app, and for several years has let users tweak their photos with a range of Instagram-like filters. Of course, you don’t have to use those filters, and many users likely won’t bother with stickers, but giving users the option seems like an obvious move.

While stickers alone won’t rescue Twitter from its current woes, such a feature could form part of a broader strategy that ultimately helps lift it from the doldrums as it apprehensively enters its second decade of operation.

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