Twitter's Latest Update Can Make it Easier for User to Escape the App's Algorithm

On Feb. 10, Twitter updated its app to make it easier for users to switch between the algorithmically programmed Home timeline and the feed that displays the "Latest" tweets.

Usually, when users want to move between timelines, they have to tap the icon in the top-right of the screen, then do it again to switch back.

However, starting Feb.10 on iOS, tapping that icon will give you the option to pin both the Home timeline and the Latest tweets to your Twitter Home page, so you can instead swipe back and forth between the two feeds.

Twitter Update on Timeline

Twitter explained that the update makes the option to see recent posts more visible and intuitive to use. It also reduces confusion by making it easier to see which timeline you are currently scrolling, the social media company says.

The change comes at a time when there has been increased regulator pressure on tech companies linked to their algorithmic recommendation systems and the lack of transparency around their inner workings.

Also Read: Twitter's Google Sign In, Sign Up Option Arrives! You Can Now Merge Your Two Accounts

For example, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the United States put forward the Filter Bubble Transparency Act, which would require tech companies to offer a version of their platforms that do not leverage user data to make recommendations.

The bill wants to give users the chance to turn off Twitter's recommendation algorithms if they want to. Since then, Instagram promised to re-introduce a chronological feed option. Or technically, it is a reverse-chronological feed, according to TechCrunch.

However, Twitter had already offered an option, though some may not have known it existed. The latest change may help to better surface the feature, the sparkle icon is located in the same place as before, but it could make Twitter easier to use.

In addition, to support user choice, a "Latest" feed is also the type of tool that people turn to in a breaking news situation, when the immediacy of information is more critical than an algorithmic suggestion of the best content that you may have missed.

That is very useful now amid the Russia-Ukraine war, where people are relying on social media apps to get the latest news about what is happening on the ground.

Twitter had first started publicly testing the feature in October 2021. The company said that the feedback was positive, so it has decided to be rolled out, according to Android Central.

At its launch, the feature was only available on iOS, but it will soon be available to Android and the web. Pushed for more specificity on that date, Twitter could only promise it would be in the next couple of weeks.

Adding 100 Million Users

According to The Verge, Twitter has a massive goal, as it wants to add another 100 million daily users by the end of 2023. This is an increase of 50% from where it is today.

This is one of the reasons why Twitter has been updating the platform and adding new features, as it wants the site to be easier to navigate before the next batch of users come in.

In 2021, Twitter video subtitles automatically played when videos were muted.

Twitter also updated Twitter Blue last year so users can upload longer videos.