If you wanted to flick a private message to someone on Twitter it used to be that you’d have to be following each other.

However, Twitter has altered its system now so you can send a direct message to anyone on the social media platform, regardless of whether they follow you or not.

Announced in a blog post, Twitter outlined the new changes, stating it wants the private Twitter experience to be “just as fulfilling as the public side”.

Surely this could mean though that a heap of people get bombarded with private messages from people they don’t follow?

There’s a way to change the ability though.

“We hope these changes help you connect more easily – and directly – on Twitter with the people, causes and businesses you care about most,” the blog post said.

“If you do receive a Direct Message from someone you don’t want to privately converse with, you can still take steps to stop them.”