Twitter’s new direct message feature caused a few users to panic

Communicating via Twitter DMs may finally be about to get a whole lot easier.

Twitter's direct message feature is set to undergo a significant change after the website announced an upgrade on Monday. From now on, Twitter users will be able to receive DMs from other accounts regardless of whether or not they follow each other. But, in case you're worrying about being inundated with messages from strangers, receiving DMs from all users is an optional setting that can easily be deactivated. https://twitter.com/MattNavarra/status/590192722507497472 The 'optional' bit didn't quite register with a few Twitter users, however, who greeted the news with a sense of doom having assumed their privacy was compromised. Word on the street is that pressure from investors forced Twitter into the move, but they claimed in a blog post today that it will make for a more engaging messaging experience. 'We continue to invest in our private channel to lay the foundation for a powerful and engaging messaging experience,' said a Twitter statement. https://twitter.com/davidclewis/status/590195585145298944 https://twitter.com/rebeccawatson/status/590249150156931072