FINALLY
Twitter users rejoice, we are getting closer to having a timeline of tweets that actually makes sense.
Currently, there is no rhyme or reason to the order in which tweets are presented on the timeline. Technically, it shows the best or most important tweets first, which began in 2016.
“…the Tweets you’re most likely to care about will appear at the top of your timeline,” the blog post detailing the feature claimed. It then reassured users that the rest of their timeline would be below that in reverse chronological order “as always”.
Many, if not all, Twitter users can vouch for the fact that this is not how it worked. The tweets that you’re “most likely to care about” turned out to often be whatever viral tweet that was going around. It appeared in this section titled IN CASE YOU MISSED IT. With no reverse chronological to be seen.
After two years, and many user complaints, Twitter is finally doing away with this. A string of tweets from their Support account (@TwitterSupport) revealed this information.
2/ We’ve learned that when showing the best Tweets first, people find Twitter more relevant and useful. However, we’ve heard feedback from people who at times prefer to see the most recent Tweets.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 17, 2018
Their plan was to balance recent tweets with “best” tweets. But do admit “…we don’t always get this balance right.” They’re currently working on better way to achieve that initial goal.
Until then, they’re doing away with the In Case You Missed It feature entirely, and more importantly, they’ve reinstated the reverse chronological order that we’ve all been asking for this entire time.
We can only hope that other social media outlets follow suit soon. Instagram, we’re looking at you.
