Elon is Right: Twitter Should Open Up the Algorithm

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The main character on Twitter this week, yet again, is Twitter itself. 

As everybody knows, Elon Musk wants to buy the company, and one of the ideas he’s pushing is to open-source the algorithm that decides how tweets are ranked in all of our timelines. Whether or not the sale goes through (seems unlikely), I actually think this is a great idea. In fact I would go further and argue Twitter should not only open-source their algorithm so we can all see how it works, I think they should create an open marketplace for algorithms where anyone can build their own, and use algorithms created by others.

For example I’d want to try an algorithm that attempts to prioritize nuanced conversations about important topics. Maybe someone else would want algorithms to find mind-expanding threads, savage dunks, or thirst traps of hot new snax. 

Here’s how it could look:

(The background images I used for the algorithms are credit to some cool people playing with DALL·E 2 on Twitter!)

Would this transform society? No. Would it “unlock Twitter’s true potential”? Probably not, tbh.

But I do think it would be a solid step towards making Twitter a better and more fun place for everyone, and I think it could rebuild some marginal trust in Twitter as an institution, by demanding less of it. It would give more control to users, and move Twitter back towards its pirate roots of operating more like an open protocol, while still protecting against the downsides of full decentralization.

I’ve been fascinated with this idea for a couple years now:

Nathan Baschez@nbashaw

It would be cool if twitter created a marketplace where developers could create custom algorithms to sort and filter tweets.

Seems like there are all sorts of interesting possibilities we’re missing out on because experimentation is so constrained.

September 7th 2019, 4:58pm EST

8 Retweets87 Likes

At first glance opening the algorithm to transparency and choice might seem far-fetched, but then again, a few weeks ago the guy who invented Twitter said he is also into the idea! (Close observers may note the connection here to Bluesky, a private entity funded by Twitter to build an open social networking protocol.) So perhaps there is hope?

jack⚡️@jack

The choice of which algorithm to use (or not) should be open to everyone

Elon Musk@elonmusk

Twitter algorithm should be open source

March 24th 2022, 7:04pm EST

2k Retweets22k Likes

Whether you love or hate Elon Musk, and regardless of your position on the ‘free speech’ vs ‘safety from abuse’ debate, I think the idea of a marketplace for algorithms should be taken more seriously. There are two main advantages. First, from a purely commercial and self-interested perspective, opening up their algorithms to transparency and choice will help Twitter scale by strengthening their network effect. Second, from a societal point of view, this would be a meaningful step towards rebuilding trust, which is at an all-time low.

Let’s begin by looking at what’s in it for Twitter.