Twitter is now attention roulette and ultimately meaningless
Twitter’s shift toward algorithmic “For You” feeds and pay-to-boost visibility is seen by many users as turning the platform into an “attention roulette” machine, where engagement metrics and commercial incentives override straightforward follower-based timelines. Some argue this has degraded content quality into rage-bait, spam, and low-value self-promotion, while making it harder for thoughtful posts to reach an audience or have impact beyond the site. Others counter that careful use of the “Following” tab, aggressive blocking, or moving to alternatives like Mastodon, personal blogs, and RSS can restore control over what they see, even if that limits reach and growth.
Nature of Twitter’s Attention Economy
- Many see Twitter as “attention roulette”: outcomes feel random, driven by engagement metrics, not meaning.
- Some argue this is not new; all ad-driven social media optimizes for engagement, not knowledge.
- Others say the post‑Elon algorithm made things noticeably worse and more chaotic.
Algorithmic Feeds vs Chronological Following
- Confusion over whether followers actually see followed accounts.
- Some insist the “Following” tab is chronological and works fine.
- Others report missed posts and apparent filtering even there, plus the app frequently defaults back to algorithmic “For You,” which is perceived as manipulative.
- Rationale offered: limited feed space and commercial incentives push platforms to hide low‑engagement posts, even from followers.
Content Quality and User Experience
- Complaints: rage bait, political propaganda, self‑improvement spam, get‑rich schemes, recycled memes, and low‑effort “engagement questions.”
- A few users still see strong value for niche content (e.g., AI, politics in censored countries, real‑time events).
- Some think the author’s own content might simply not be compelling and that view counts may have exposed that.
Alternatives and Trade‑offs
- Mastodon praised for no algorithm and chronological feeds; critics say this limits follow counts and discovery.
- Others see that limit as a feature forcing curation and deeper relationships.
- Blogs, RSS, newsletters, and email are viewed as healthier, slower‑growth ecosystems.
- Threads and other big‑tech clones are often seen as even more outrage‑driven.
Coping Strategies and Tools
- Heavy use of blocking to clean feeds, sometimes at massive scale.
- Browser/user‑script extensions to hide “For You,” recommendations, ads, and other engagement bait.
- Some treat the “Following” tab drying up as a welcome stopping cue, not a problem.
News, Politics, and Propaganda
- Twitter still valued for user‑uploaded videos and on‑the‑ground reporting, though some say TikTok now rivals this.
- There’s concern that state and commercial actors game algorithms to inflame internal divisions.
- Broader point: human attention is finite and poorly safeguarded; platforms are optimized to exploit it.