Once upon a time, Twitter worked in the following way: Someone posted a tweet. Then someone else would tweet. Then you would see these tweets in your timeline, in the order they were sent. And because chronological order isn’t good enough for social services any more (too predictable and rigid and not as easily monetized, or something like that), Twitter is by default now showing you the “best tweets first.”
Whatever the hell that means.
Actually, according to Twitter, it means this:
“Tweets you are likely to care about most will show up first in your timeline. We choose them based on accounts you interact with most, Tweets you engage with, and much more.”
No, thanks. Here’s how to turn it off and get back to the hot takes in the order in which they were sent:
How to turn off Twitter’s algorithm in the Android app
Open the Twitter app. (Duh, but important.) Hit the three dots in the top right. (That’s called an overflow menu.) Choose “Settings.” Now choose “Timeline.” Uncheck “Show me the best Tweets first.” Which may well be the only option you see.
How to turn off Twitter’s ‘best tweets first’ algorithm on the website
Log in to Twitter. Go to “Settings”. Scroll down under “Content.” Look for the “Timeline” option, and uncheck it.
And that’s that. Your timeline will now be back to chronological order, peppered with ads, outrage and hot takes over the latest thing that happened.
