Twitter swaps out a chronological feed for TikTok’s For You Page

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Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Musk ‘taking over Twitter’ meant to be a good thing? I seem to remember all sorts of talk about privacy, freedom, security, and other such pipe dreams. Alas, promises about how much Twitter was due to become seem to be indistinguishable from those 4AM rants we so often make and never follow through with. If you were looking forward to Twitter becoming a more following-centric space where you can keep up to date with the lives of people who actually matter, you’re in for a massive shock. 

Twitter has decided, in the company’s infinite wisdom, to set the new For You page as the default when you open the app. Oh! You didn’t know? Twitter has a For You page now. This is essentially where all the meaningless drivel that an algorithm assumes you might interact with appears. 

Related: Was Musk’s Twitter verification crusade all just marketing?



The change was first picked up on iOS where users noticed that the star icon at the top right-hand side of the interface had disappeared. No longer can you use this icon to switch between which feed is most important to you. Instead, you will now be automatically served algorithmic nonsense whenever you open the Twitter app. The newly ‘improved’ Twitter interface now features two tabs. One is labeled For You, and the other, Following. 

The For You space share’s a name with TikTok’s vacuous feature, marking yet another instance where Twitter boffins have been unable to come up with an original idea. As previously stated, the For You tab is powered by an algorithm that will serve up new content every so often tailored to whatever you interact with. The idea behind this algorithmic system is to keep users entertained and, therefore, use the app for longer, sapping your energy, reducing your drive and ability to concentrate on anything that requires a little more thought, and generally taking over your life. You know, as social media is designed to do. 

Related: How to disable Twitter’s new interface and get the old design back

If you’re using the Twitter app on Android or the internet, you’ll be spared the disappointing new interface for a short while longer. However, rest assured, the change will come for us all. If you prefer the reverse chronological order, it may be time to switch to a new social network, or better yet, give up social networks entirely. There’s a whole physical world beyond your smart devices that are dying to be explored.
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