Twitter has begun testing alterations to its timeline that has left many of its users angry. Now, a selection of Twitter users are seeing tweets from accounts they don't follow.
Traditionally, Twitter users would see tweets on their timeline if a) a person they followed tweeted something out b) a person they followed retweeted a tweet c) the tweet was a sponsored ad.
The new changes now allow the timeline to display tweets from an account that one of the user's followers follows. Additionally, the experimental timeline now displays when one of your followers favorites a tweet. Now Twitter users get a whole bunch of info that they didn't sign up for seeing. And there is no way to remove this new feature.
Changing the very sacred Twitter timeline has caused complaints among users that are part of the test sample, including singer Josh Groban and actress Anna Kendrick.
One of the main reasons why the new change is so irritating to users is because the experiment completely changes the implications of favoriting a tweet. Sometimes users favorite things they agree or disagree with. Sometimes it is used as a bookmarking tool or way to say, "I've read this tweet." Either way, favorites are not intended to be publicly shared or else the user would have retweeted it. And though favorites can be seen on a user's profile, it is known to be a more private tool.
The new experimental changes are similar to when Twitter launched a new notification system. The notification change includes being alerted not only when your mentioned, favorited, or retweeted, but also when followers started following others that are suggested to you. The new notifications include breaking news, follow recommendations and engagement level on a tweet.
While Twitter continues to evolve, changes are sometimes necessary and part of continual growth. But the social media site could have at least notified users of the experimental changes, which was first revealed in a blog post last year.
