Twitter Is Experimenting With a New, Non-Chronological Timeline

Twitter has begun testing a new format that is a departure from one of its defining features — the reverse-chronological timeline — representatives for the microblogging site confirmed to the media Tuesday, after many users began seeing their tweets in random order.

“This is an experiment,” a spokesperson told several news outlets including the Wall Street Journal. “We’re continuing to explore ways to surface the best content for people using Twitter.”

The change is widely thought to be aimed at attracting new users and giving Twitter’s flagging growth a much needed boost, with co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey hinting at it in a recent earnings call.

“You will see us continue to question our reverse chronological timeline, and all the work it takes to build one by finding and following accounts,” Dorsey said. “We continue to show a questioning of our fundamentals in order to make the product easier and more accessible to more people.”

Many of the site’s existing users, however, are not happy with their new timelines, likely shuffled using an algorithm similar to the one Facebook employs to present the most relevant content.

[WSJ]