Another day, another Twitter test. This time Twitter has been reported to be experimenting a way to show tweets to users from accounts that they don’t follow, but that their friends follow.
Also Read: The Day Twitter Added A “Buy Now” Button
The experiment was first spotted by Twitter user @aleefbaypay who spotted a tweet from BuzzFeed on his timeline. Problem, he does not follow @BuzzFeed, but his friend does.
WTF @twitter, why am I seeing tweets from accounts that I don’t follow but are followed by someone whom I follow?
— aleefbaypay (@aleefbaypay) August 3, 2014
@EliLanger yup. The buzzfeed tweet is the one in question. pic.twitter.com/FTbHTXs2Z9
— aleefbaypay (@aleefbaypay) August 3, 2014
One can easily see how this test could be easily be an experiment on a new monetisation channel for Twitter, very similar to Facebook’s sponsored stories.
But if Twitter did implement this feature, it would probably meet the anger of users. Following an account on Twitter is a deliberate action, people decide whose tweet and retweets they want to see in their timeline. They will not easily accept seeing tweets they did not ask for, especially in a timeline which already gets easily cluttered.
Twitter tests features features like that all the time, most of them never make it to the confirmation stage. However, we can really see where Twitter is going with this.
We reached out to Twitter in the UK for more information, but no one responded.
Related Stories:
- Twitter 101: How To Generate Engagement [Infographic]
- Twitter Is Testing Ways To Comment on Retweets
- Twitter (Finally) Adds Animated GIFs
You might also like
More from Twitter
Twitter Will Wipe Out All Followers From The @POTUS Account
Joe Biden will need some new followers, as Twitter announced its plans to wipe out all followers from the @POTUS …
Twitter Is Shutting Down Periscope
Another one bites the dust! Twitter announced that it's shutting down Periscope, but keeping native live video streaming in its …
Twitter Is Bringing Back Its Verification Program In January
After pausing its verification program in 2017, Twitter has now announced that it's bringing it back on January 20, 2021.
You Can Now Share Tweets Directly To Snapchat Stories On iOS
Twitter has announced a new feature that allows you to add Tweets directly to your Snapchat Stories on iOS.
#ThisHappened On Twitter In 2020
Twitter has released its year in review report, examining what kept us entertained and the messages we shared. This is …
Twitter Asks Twitter To Summarize 2020 In One Word
Twitter took Twitter by storm by asking users to describe 2020 in one word. The tweet generated over 120,000 replies.
Twitter Is Introducing Frequency Caps For Ads Globally
Twitter announced it's introducing frequency caps for ads on its platform. The feature will be available globally.One of the …
Twitter Will Automatically De-Verify Some Of Its Users
Twitter verification may resume soon. But first, the company says it's planning to automatically de-verify some of its users.
How To Share A Tweet In A Fleet
Twitter rolled out Fleets globally this week, and with it comes a new way to share existing tweets with your …
