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Lowenna Waters
Sep 19, 2018
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Yes, you read it correctly. It's finally happening - Twitter is bringing back the chronological order to its timelines.
The company decided to remove the chronological feature in 2016, when it introduced an algorithmically-controlled timeline, much to the horror of many of its die-hard users.
The new algorithm hinged on showing users the 'best tweets first', such as those that were trending, gaining traction in likes and retweets, or from Twitter personalities that users most interacted with.
The change meant that tweets from less popular accounts were more likely to get buried, meaning you were less likely to interact with them, and therefore even less likely to see their tweets moving forward.
Twitter announced the change in a series of tweets, shared with their followers on Tuesday:
So, how do you enable the chronological feature, we hear you ask with bated breath.
No need to fret - here are some simple 'how to' steps.
1) Open the Twitter app and click on your profile image.
2) Select the 'Settings and privacy' option, then Content preferences.
3) Twitter will have 'show me the best tweets' checked - you will need to uncheck it.
4) Bob's your uncle!
Many people hope that by disabling the algorithmic feature, Twitter will be able to deal with some of the issues its faced with regards to false news, election interference, and bias accusations.
It remains to be seen whether users will prefer to be manipulated by the algorithm, or whether most will stick with the status quo, and keep their timelines chronological, but what's for sure is it will have knock on effects on other social media platforms if Twitter is still able to turn a good profit.
But, at the very least, you'll be seeing Clive from accounts' tweets a little more often than you used to.
HT DailyDot
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