Twitter was never the biggest social media platform in terms of user numbers, but it was always somehow the most consequential. There were reasons for that – it was the best medium for breaking news; it allowed politicians and celebrities to speak with their own voices and directly to users; its short-form format inspired people to be creative and, often, witty.
There is much debate over how the platform – now called X – has changed since Elon Musk bought it. Certainly, there are structural changes, including longer posts and a video-favored algorithm. Musk is also a vocal proponent of free speech, and that had the consequence of removing guardrails that, for instance, prevented abuse on the platform. Many “power” users who had been the backbone of Twitter for years left when it became X, going to Bluesky and alternative platforms.
Users could not find what they were interested in
One of the most frequent criticisms of X is that people found it increasingly difficult to see what they were interested in. There were two types of feed: For You and Following. The former puts you into the broader platform, creating a feed of recommended posts that (in theory) should be based on your interests; in practice, however, it seemed to be different, with the algorithm constantly pushing politics and issues that can only be described as fueling the “culture wars”. The Following tab shows posts only from people you follow. Again, that’s fine in theory, but it also means there’s less discovery on the platform.
But has X now found a solution? There is now a new dynamic tab beside For You and Following, which is called “Custom Timelines”. Its purpose is to allow you to choose a topic from NFL to country music, politics to cryptocurrencies, esports to science, and build a feed solely devoted to that topic. If you are interested in multiple topics, you can add multiple ones. It feels like a revelation. Currently, there are 75 topics to choose from, but X has hinted at more.
It is, of course, logical that people want to see what they are interested in on social media. You may be broadly interested in sports or music, but there are numerous micro-topics, too. Gaming, for instance, can cover everything from console gaming to puzzles to online slot games. Anything that can help narrow down your points of interest helps. X says that Grok AI will be of assistance here, narrowing down the fields of interest.
Custom Timelines are a step in the right direction
If you have been disgruntled with X/Twitter over recent years, this could really help. We aren’t saying that X is suddenly perfect, but using those Custom Timelines makes it feel more peaceful and harmonious. Indeed, if the reason you actually like X is to avail yourself of all those political posts, you can gorge on that, too.
Elon Musk has tried many different strategies to ‘fix’ X. Some have been beneficial, others not so much. Yet, this option feels like a new middle ground, and we would not be surprised if it brings back some of those users who fled the platform. It won’t fix everything, but it feels like a step in the right direction.