Twitter's Controversial New Timeline Arrives

Brouhaha seems to be overblown, suggest bloggers
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2016 12:09 PM CST
Twitter's Controversial New Timeline Arrives
Twitter is now offering a timeline.   (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Twitter is generating headlines today by unveiling a new timeline that changes how users see old tweets when they first log on. The idea is to present people with the most relevant tweets first, not necessarily the most recent. Some related coverage:

  • "You flip on the feature in your settings; then when you open Twitter after being away for a while, the Tweets you're most likely to care about will appear at the top of your timeline." Read Twitter's own explanation.
  • In determining which tweets are the most relevant, it's all about the algorithms, explains a primer from Mashable.

  • Wired says it might be the "most fundamental change" ever made by Twitter, but adds, "Know that this is not all bad and it’s not the giant, Facebook-inspired overhaul you think it is."
  • Also, it's starting out as optional, notes PC Mag, so "don't freak out."
  • Eventually, however, it will become the default, and the Guardian explains how you'd be able to deactivate it.
  • Rumors ahead of the move led to an #RIPTwitter hashtag, and MarketingLand rounds up some of the opposition.
  • But Gizmodo says people shouldn't worry: "It's not that different!"
(More Twitter stories.)

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