Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey discuss Twitter's algorithm and chronological tweets
What's the story
What happens when a prospective owner and former CEO discuss the future of a social media platform? Well, the world got a chance to witness that when Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey took to Twitter to talk about the platform's algorithms and "latest Tweets" timeline. The conversation came on the same day reports suggested that the Tesla CEO is facing a US SEC probe.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Musk's impending acquisition of Twitter is expected to spell out many changes for the microblogging platform. Most of his suggestions are features Twitterati has been wanting for years. His new tweet favoring the "latest Tweets" feed instead of the algorithm-suggested timeline is in the same vein. Dorsey's response is interesting considering there have been rumors about him being back as Twitter's CEO.
Views
Chronological tweets better than what algorithm suggests: Musk
Since his proposed $44 billion bid to acquire Twitter was accepted by the board, Musk has been actively talking about the changes he would like to see in the platform. This time, his tweet was about the "latest Tweets" timeline that lets you view tweets chronologically instead of the algorithm-generated timeline. Musk was of the opinion that the former seems better.
Twitter Post
Here's what Musk said about chronological timeline
Chronological tweets seem much better than what “the algorithm” suggests
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2022
Options are better
Dorsey talked about the importance of choice for users
In reply to Musk's tweet, Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder and former CEO, chimed in about the algorithm-suggested timeline. According to Dorsey, the "latest Tweets" feed is better for live and breaking news, while the algorithm-generated timeline shows tweets users may miss while scrolling. He also said that Twitterati should have the choice between them. Musk replied "yeah" to Dorsey's response.
Twitter Post
Take a look at Dorsey's response
this is the way
— jack⚡️ (@jack) May 12, 2022
though the algorithm is good at surfacing stuff you'd otherwise miss by not scrolling. reverse chron best for live and breaking events. having choice is the most important. ideally being able to choose what algo you want to use...
Chronology
Twitter has had a mixed relationship with 'latest Tweets' feed
The "latest Tweets" feed is a favorite of Twitterati. However, Twitter itself has a mixed relationship with the feature. In 2016, the company ditched the feature in favor of its algorithm-suggested timeline. The social media site eventually brought it back a couple of years later. The chronological feed can be accessed by clicking on the 'sparkle' button on the top-right corner of the screen.