Currently, when a person opens their Twitter and views their timeline, they will see all of tweets composed by everyone they are following in chronological order. However, by as soon as next week, Twitter’s timeline will essentially become the same as Facebook, where what you see will be based on a complex formula of algorithms.
This is great because the cream will rise to the top and the most popular content that you have shown interest in the past will be at the forefront of your timeline. This is horrible because accounts with large amounts of followers will have an advantage of getting their tweets out into the twittersphere. Plus Twitter is losing what made it an outstanding social media platform to begin with, a ginormous concourse of people from different cultures and places across the world instantly commenting on current events and engaging in live discourse without muffling the voices of those who aren’t part of a major corporation or a celebrity. In addition, this new timeline swings the door wide open to strong-arm users to pay Twitter to increase the visibility of their tweets as well as more ads. Way, way, way more ads. The people of Twitter did not enthusiastically welcome the news, and the hashtag #RIPTwitter was born.
https://twitter.com/_youhadonejob1/status/695954144293752836
#RIPTwitter "what really happened" pic.twitter.com/1xS4L7KvuU
— new account @twindzn (@twin2ndaccount) February 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/NICKWALSH/status/695803230370959360
https://twitter.com/1DYareli/status/695988253984292865
https://twitter.com/MentalityMag/status/696018096906223616
Twitter CEO:
"Let`s see the impact on the community with this new tweet algorithm."#RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/dQoqS0NWVw— Mental (@BonjwaMental) February 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/GameThroneReact/status/695973974153498624
Twitter logo Then and Now.#RIPTwitter 🙈🙈🙈🙈🤔😳🤓🙃🐸😂 pic.twitter.com/m6Q1KHlEx1
— Poppy Mathobela (@PopMathobela) February 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/knelligan12/status/695983466937237504
All we needed was an edit button. No more characters, no more promotions, not another Facebook. #RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/Ocle1RmeOJ
— Parker (@panoparker) February 6, 2016
"Twitter will be changing into algorithmic timeline like Facebook"
The whole Twitter world right now
#RIPTwitter pic.twitter.com/98bpNR44W9— ∞ (@NiallsHonesty) February 6, 2016
It’s currently unknown whether the new timeline will be mandatory or opt-in, but even if it’s introduced as opt-in, there’s no way it will stay as opt-in.
The changes come during the time of Twitter’s stock tumbling and failing to show growth and profits that investors are expecting.
https://twitter.com/MentalityMag/status/696022681590894593
This change comes as no surprise since Twitter tested out a non-chronological timeline late last year, and it was not accepted by loyal users then. “Yes, this is an experiment. We’re continuing to explore ways to surface the best content for people using Twitter,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “You’ll see us continue to question our reverse chronological timeline and all the work it takes to build one by finding and following accounts,” Twitter’s Chief Executive Jack Dorsey said during the company’s second-quarter earnings conference call in July.
Back in 2014, CFO Anthony Noto said showing tweets in reverse chronological order “isn’t the most relevant experience for a user.”
Well at least you still have the 140-character limit. For now.
Hey Tom, hold up.
[BuzzFeed]