What to Mute to Make Your Twitter Timeline Chronological Again
Twitter has finally brought back exclusively chronological timelines, more two years after phasing them out.
In a move many would characterize as restoring a functionality information technology never should have removed in the first place, the social media platform announced on Mon that it will now allow users to fully opt out of "curated" timelines, in which "top-ranked" tweets — co-ordinate to an algorithm, anyway — are shown outset, above more recent tweets displayed in chronological order.
Users have ever had the ability to plough off the curation function, which is listed every bit "Prove the all-time tweets first" in Twitter's settings menu — simply only in a limited sense. Even users who disabled the "Show the all-time tweets first" setting were shown curated categories of tweets they couldn't opt out of seeing (including popular tweets from people they didn't follow) and which afflicted the order of their feeds. In essence, there was no such thing equally a purely chronological timeline.
But now, citing user feedback, Twitter has restored the ability for people to view their feeds in all their completely uncurated glory.
half-dozen/ Our programme is to eventually supersede this setting when the easier-to-admission switch described above is bachelor. We'll keep yous updated and are listening to your feedback – let usa know what you call back!
— Twitter Back up (@TwitterSupport) September 17, 2018
The changes followed a moving ridge of clever workarounds and DIY filtering shared among users in an endeavor to reach a change that many people wanted, but Twitter seemed unwilling to brand.
In Baronial, developer (and loftier-contour Twitter user) Andy Baio used Twitter'south search function to concoct a filter that displayed users' timelines in uncurated, chronological social club. It speedily became the engine backside a "new" website, realtwitter.com:
You know, I've had the domain https://t.co/Nu7N4UZsmF for years now, and never did anything with it. I just made it a frontwards to your filter url, for the benefit of mankind.
— Erin Sparling (@everyplace) Baronial 17, 2018
Baio's simple yet much-lauded hack was followed past multiple viral tweets virtually how to tweak your Twitter settings to reverse-engineer the chronological timeline of your dreams.
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) September 12, 2018The best workaround I've found to Twitter'south horrible new algorithm is putting this in the search bar:
filter:follows -filter:replies include:nativeretweets
Yous volition become your old chronological timeline back with no "likes" and with retweets from people you actually follow.
Uh. Muting suggest_recycled_tweet_inline and suggest_activity_tweet actually has fixed my timeline. It's all chronological and there are barely any "10 and y liked" tweets. pic.twitter.com/Dva6LPQyLF
— Emma ⭐ (@EmmaKinema) September 16, 2018
A Twitter spokesperson told BuzzFeed that the timing of the chronological timeline'southward sudden reappearance was just a coincidence. After the announcement, the mood amongst many Twitter users ranged from delighted to jubilant to ecstatic.
Did Twitter just restore the chronological timeline? Is that nightmare over?
— Craig Bro Dude (@CraigSJ) September 18, 2018
Adding my hot take to the return of chronological timeline hot takes. Much more serendipity to the content & what I'1000 seeing is more interesting and varied. Optimising algorithms for by behavior certainly drive digital metrics merely information technology risks leading you directly into a fishbowl
— Charles Ubaghs (@charlesubaghs) September xix, 2018
The chronological timeline is wonderful. I'm seeing followers that have been hidden from me for *ages*. The just problem I have is that eventually, twitter stops loading new tweets and I have to first over.
— Lisa Harney (@lisaquestions) September xix, 2018
The origins of Twitter'due south algorithmically curated timeline date back years, with the platform implementing some of its components gradually. The company first began to officially phase out a chronologically organized timeline in February 2016, when it introduced the algorithmic timeline — in which "top-ranked" tweets, scored past a "relevance model," were automatically curated to appear kickoff and most ofttimes. Often, people would run into tweets from users they didn't even follow, above more recent tweets from those they did.
Initially, people could opt-out, simply that wasn't true for long. By early 2017, many users were lament frequently of seeing tweets from people they didn't follow, as office of Twitter's ongoing attempts to recommend content to its audience.
A Twitter spokesperson emphasized to Vox this week that, while the company has restored the chronological timeline selection in response to user feedback, its research has shown that people discover Twitter more relevant and useful when they're shown the "best" tweets offset.
You might be wondering why existence able to view tweets chronologically ever became an issue at all. Who cares what society tweets are displayed in? Aren't they all but tweets? Well, yep and no.
I reason people intendance and then much about chronological timelines is that social media feels increasingly out of our control
The emphasis on curated timelines and recommendations beyond several social media platforms — Facebook and Instagram too surface content based on what an algorithm thinks users will be near interested in — has oft baffled and frustrated users.
While the platforms say that filtered and curated timelines provide more value to users, users themselves have frequently said that, in practice, they are regularly shown content that's already several days former, which is served up instead of newer content they would prefer not to miss.
Some user experience designers have chalked up the desire for a chronological timeline to FOMO ("fear of missing out"). Others, including Twitter engineer Andrew Huang — who wrote extensively about the algorithmic feed when it was beginning implemented in 2016 — have said that users' FOMO was what proved there was a need for curation. (Some manufacture observers have also speculated that Twitter'due south decision to introduce the algorithmic curation was driven past investors who felt the platform was failing to elevate important content.)
People who revert to a chronological feed on Twitter will undoubtedly miss seeing the most popular tweets on any given twenty-four hours. Just the ongoing friction between social media platforms and their users over the desire for a chronological feed is about much more than than just a preference to read things in order. It'southward also most a growing distrust and weariness of algorithmic curation, the way social media algorithms increasingly assistance to spread misinformation, and the loss of user command over what they see on their feeds.
A chronological timeline isn't only a timeline ruled by a clearly defined order; it's a feed in which data is neutral. In a social media world full of chronological timelines, virality is organic, achieved only through retweets and reblogs, without any algorithmic boosts. The power of using hashtags to amplify and expand conversations or broadcast events isn't filtered or limited because an algorithm doesn't encounter sure posts every bit "of import."
All of this is crucial to agreement why and then many Twitter users are loyal to the platform despite Twitter's ongoing controversies and numerous failures. When information technology's unfiltered and uncurated — and when your feed isn't overrun by bots, fascists, and/or disingenuous trolls — Twitter tin can fulfill its stated mission to serve every bit a "public square," where ideas become promoted considering people discover them worthy of discussion, not because a robot thinks yous might like them. That is, it's democratic. And at a moment when people are worried near the literal decease of American democracy, that'south not insignificant.
To be off-white, a chronological timeline isn't a cure-all for Twitter. Between the bots, the trolls, the false news, the Nazis, and the algorithmic curation that's unavoidable on other parts of the platform (namely in hashtag feeds and the search function), even reverting to a chronological feed won't give you a completely "neutral" view of Twitter — that's an idealistic dream that seems increasingly out of reach.
But the simple pick to read tweets chronologically will at to the lowest degree requite users more command over a system that often feels uncontrollable, and hopefully remind usa of what Twitter tin be at its best.
Here'southward how to restore your chronological Twitter timeline
If you'd like to restore your timeline to a chronologically ordered view, navigate to your "Settings and Privacy" page, which you tin get to by clicking your Twitter avatar. From there, scroll down to the option to "Show the All-time Tweets First." Y'all desire to make sure that choice is unchecked.
![](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DbFrqbN1uvvqhnWsDyOKILqKzpI=/0x0:581x305/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:581x305):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13108345/Screen_Shot_2018_09_18_at_9.36.28_AM.png)
As part of its announcement on Monday, Twitter explained that this week'due south changes are just a get-go step, and that one time they're fully implemented, users will accept the ability to easily toggle between a chronological feed and a curated one. With that final alter, hopefully nosotros'll accept the best of both worlds, and Twitter users can resume their other favorite Twitter activity — complaining most the lack of an edit office.
Meanwhile, information technology's your move, Instagram.
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Source: https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/9/20/17876098/twitter-chronological-timeline-back-finally
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