“Today I only have tweets and interactions in my ‘For you’ section. Elon Musk. This ‘timeline’ is nonsense.” This is one of the many protest messages that are repeated everywhere. twitter. A few days ago, social network decided to copy the model. TikTok and enabled chronology That the algorithm has to suggest tweets you are interested in. However, the walls of many users were filled with content shared by the controversial businessman.
With 128.8 million followers, Musk is one of the most popular accounts on the internet. platform bought it last October and currently operates it. His posts have always been highly engaging, but something has changed since Monday, with many users noting that the algorithmic recommendation wall has turned into a flood of Musk tweets. Even if they don’t follow you.
The company did not reveal the official reasons for this change, but everything points to Musk himself. He’s worried that in recent weeks, the clown’s tweets haven’t gotten as much attention as they used to. Last week, Musk gathered a group of engineers at his Twitter offices to ask them to explain themselves. According to journalists Zoe Schiffer and Casey Newton, the engineers explained to Musk that they did not find any bias in the algorithm that would harm him, and that the decrease in interactions with his messages could be due to a decreased interest in Musk. Musk didn’t like this statement so much that he fired one of the engineers.
Not content with retaliation, Twitter’s new owner instructed his employees to track how many times their tweets were recommended. This Sunday, Musk said the engineers “Up to 95% of my tweets won’t reach“. Among other things, retweetsamplification hashtags Removed penalty affecting tweets like photos or videos. It is not known whether the businessman also ordered his messages to be artificially expanded to reach more people.
Less usage and appearance
Nine weeks ago, Twitter introduced the views each tweet had; this function served to illustrate the minor impact that messages from users with a large number of followers can have. Company sources pointed out to American outlet ‘The Verge’ that introducing this button could contribute to limiting the amplification of tweets, as the platform had to reduce the size of ‘retweet’ buttons to put on the wall. like’.
Musk’s loss of engagement may also be due to the decline in Twitter’s popularity. A study published in January showed that social networking usage in the US has dropped by 9% since the businessman took control. Twitter’s malfunction and constant changes announced by its owner have made the browsing experience less interesting and more confusing for many.
Aware of the widespread complaints, Musk assured that they will be done this Tuesday.”new adjustments to the algorithmA new change that will require Twitter users to be more patient.