End of Twitter, Feb 2016 Edition

News is breaking that Twitter is rolling out an algorithmically sorted timeline. An algorithmic Twitter is an I’ll-check-it-once-a-week-for 5-minutes Twitter. I wonder if it would even feel trustworthy in the case of a tragic disaster, the kind that seems to happen a few times a year. If I feel like Twitter is trying to show me relevant content instead of simply allowing the news to flow, I don’t think I would rely on it for info. But where else would I go? What are we supposed to do? Just let it go, I guess. Back to 2006.

Tweetbot has been a refuge. In fact, if it weren’t for Tweetbot, I likely would have stopped reading Twitter altogether. The official app is a mess, already out of order and impossible to grok. It feels uncomfortable, like socks which won’t stay up, or a too-small-sweater.

I’ve been preparing myself for the end for a long time. It seems obvious third party apps won’t be around for ever. Eventually we’d all have to use the official app. I check it occasionally, but it’s a horrible experience, and I always feel less anxious after closing it. If I had to use their app, I would just not bother.

I’m not really a social person. Not really an over-sharer. Twitter and Instagram made it easy for me for awhile, but something has changed. I feel less comfortable with social networks in general. Personal, private blogging feels much more my style.

Feels like Twitter is almost over. It really does this time.