In November of 2018, Twitter began testing its most recent feature, which allowed users to see their most recent tweets appearing at the top of their news feed, as opposed to news which was put there by Twitter, based on what it thought you might be interested in. This recent rollout was in response to a widespread request lodged by a number of users who continue to be frustrated by losing visibility of all their most recent tweets. This feature, known as "twitter timeline chronological", aims to address user concerns and provide a more straightforward chronological view of tweets.

Included in the November rollout, was a sparkling icon which appeared above a user's home timeline. When the icon was tapped on, it gave you the option of switching to a chronological feed of tweets rather than a series of tweets pushed there by Twitter itself. The icon is essentially a toggle which allows you to accept the default originally made available by Twitter, or to adopt the chronological feed which most users prefer. Currently, this toggle capability is only available on iOS, although users of Android devices will have the same capability in the very near future.

A very helpful feature

Since Twitter prides itself on being a leader in breaking news and in real-time trends, this is one of the most useful changes it has implemented in some time. By allowing users to join conversations in progress, the platform has established a forum which all the other platforms would like to establish themselves, and which some of them are even now prioritizing, including the feature on how to make Twitter timeline chronological.

A 2021 report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021: Twitter is the dominant platform for journalists worldwide, with 80% using it for professional purposes. This dominance is likely due in part to the ability to follow conversations and breaking news in real-time.

For people who closely follow sporting events, this is an absolutely priceless feature, and for other people who routinely await breaking news developments, it's just as useful. When you are trying to learn about something which is occurring in real time, you need to read the tweets which are being generated right at the moment of their generation.

Toggle options

If you're one of those people who actually prefer the Twitter default, which is a 'Best Tweets First' kind of timeline, that won't be a problem - you can simply toggle between that feed and the more real-time feed whenever you want to, very quickly and very easily.

When you tap on the sparkle icon, you will be presented with two different options, one of which is 'See Latest Tweets', or you can choose the option entitled 'Go Back Home'.When you choose 'Go Back Home', you will be presented with all those tweets which Twitter thinks would be of the greatest interest to you, based on your previous activity and your demonstrated interests. The beauty of this arrangement is that both camps of users can be satisfied all at once, i.e. real-time users can see all the latest developing tweets and news stories, and all other users can see the default, which are tweets that the platform expects you to be interested in.

The benefits of having choices

Throughout its existence, Twitter has always been the one social media platform upon which the greatest number of ideas were being exchanged, as well as the easiest platform for initiating conversations and deepening relationships. Now that the chronological timeline is in place, you will be able to have visibility into all the ideas that you think are the most worthy, as opposed to what Twitter is guessing you will be most interested in.

This is highly advantageous for social listening as well, because you can always see who's conversing about your particular industry, and you'll be able to identify good opportunities to jump into those conversations, and help someone out, or enlighten them about your business, including how to change Twitter timeline to chronological. 

The more often you do this, the more you will come to be looked upon as an important resource in your particular business. It can be extremely important for you to achieve this kind of recognition because the point of many users' presence on Twitter is to achieve greater brand recognition for their company rather than merely socializing with friends and acquaintances. If you have a business use for Twitter, you will definitely want to be seen as an authority in your field, so that consumers will want to consult with you about important industry news and developments. 

Taking this a step further, it's also a good way to take advantage of these relationships to strategically pitch your company's products and services. It's also much more advantageous to respond to any questions or points which are being discussed, right as they are happening, rather than when you have to respond to the old algorithm timeline, which would be presenting tweets which are already days old, especially in the context of a chronological timeline Twitter feed.

New feedback options

Twitter has also provided a new option which allows you to offer feedback on every tweet that you see, as opposed to the 2018 limitation which only allowed you to give feedback on those tweets inserted in your timeline by Twitter. Given the fact that many of those tweets would have been initiated by people whom you aren't following, that feedback option was not very useful. Now you can manage the tweets that you see simply by choosing a drop-down option, for instance, 'Show Less Often', or 'Show Fewer Tweets From This Person', or even 'This Isn't Relevant To Me'.

By providing such feedback, you will actually be educating the algorithm on what you consider to be important to your lifestyle, so if you continue to use the algorithmic timeline, you will eventually be displayed more and more tweets which actually have relevance to you. You can also make use of the analytics which is available so that you can achieve greater insights into which users actually appreciate your ads within your target audience. These new options made available by Twitter offer a greater deal of control to users, especially over their news feeds, and that can definitely improve the user experience on the platform. Although you do have to make the toggle selection every time you log onto the platform right now, at least you do have the choice available to you when you want to use the chronological timeline.

FAQs – Here’s More For You!

What is Twitter's chronological timeline?

Twitter's chronological timeline displays tweets in the order they were posted, without algorithmic interference. It prioritizes latest tweets over older ones.

How to make Twitter timeline chronological?

To switch to a chronological timeline on Twitter, navigate to your settings, select "Content preferences," and toggle the option for "Latest Tweets First."

Why should I change my Twitter timeline to chronological?

Changing to a chronological timeline ensures you see tweets in real-time, offering a more immediate and unfiltered view of the platform's content.

What are the benefits of a chronological timeline on Twitter?

With a chronological timeline, users have greater control over their feed, seeing tweets as they are posted, thus staying updated on breaking news, events, and conversations.

Does a chronological timeline impact engagement on Twitter?

While a chronological timeline may not prioritize content based on popularity or algorithmic predictions, it can lead to more authentic interactions and increased engagement with timely tweets.

Can I switch back to the algorithmic timeline after choosing chronological?

Yes, you can easily revert to the algorithmic timeline if desired. Simply revisit your settings, select "Content preferences," and toggle back to the default setting for "Home Timeline."