Twitter is another company that’s growing up. Late in 2015, they’ve announced changes to make the social media conglomerate even better. According to BuzzFeed, Twitter could introduce an algorithmic timeline sometime in February 2016.
So that nobody gets confused, an algorithmic timeline is very different than a chronological one. The algorithmic timeline will put tweets in the order it thinks people want to see. For instance, it’s Super Bowl weekend. So if someone tweeted about the Super Bowl yesterday, you may see that in your Twitter feed before you see a tweet about what someone had for lunch an hour ago. We don’t know if the algorithmic timeline will be optional or required. This June 2015 article argues this could elevate Twitter’s popular content. Since becoming the new CEO in October 2015, Jack Dorsey has sought out new ways to revolutionize Twitter. Since October 2015, the company replaced term favorites with likes. There’s also talk of ending the 140 character Tweet limit. I don’t know if that would be shortened or expanded. But Twitter’s algorithmic timeline has already been tested among some Twitter markets. Now, it looks like it’s about to expand to all. Twitter leaders and spokespersons decline to comment.
But Twitter followers and consumers are commenting on Twitter’s algorithmic timeline. Most aren’t happy with this potential change. One person said she should be able to control what’s on her feed, not have Twitter control it for her. Another person believes this is going to ruin Twitter. A meteorologist complained this would be a huge problem, especially if a severe weather warning comes up. One man said this is a just another way Twitter will let celebrity tweets go in front of others, and silence regular people. In fact, I haven’t read any comments or postings saying the algorithmic timeline is a good idea. Twitter, listen to your consumers. Without your consumers, there would be no Twitter. The people don’t want this sort of timeline. Some even suggest it could be the beginning of the end of Twitter. So why is Twitter so bent on forcing something the consumers don’t want?