Twitter to remove hashtags and '@' symbols?

According to a report by Los Angeles times, Twitter which is known prominently for hashtags and @ symbols may do away with these to simplify twitter usage and attract new users. 

Vivian Schiller, head of news at Twitter, recently hinted at.America's mediaXchange conference about the same and called hashtags and '@' symbols as arcane as reported by BuzzFeed. 

Speaking at the Newspaper Association of America's mediaXchange conference, Schiller termed at-replies and hashtags as "arcane" and suggested that these components might be moved into the background soon. 

However, since the report, Schiller has backed off of her comments, tweeting that Twitter is "not at all" phasing out hashtags and the @ symbol and also took to twitter to clarify. 

The hashtag and @-reply protocols are seen as part of the reason it has been so difficult for Twitter to attract new users.

While those already on the service know how Twitter works, new users often find it confusing to understand how twitter works.