Elon Musk has announced that the more screentime users spend looking at a post (whether text, pic or video), the more it is boosted. That's how the algos are working on Twitter these days. With Musk stating it explicitly, it has become official.
"Videos posted natively to Twitter will be boosted more than an external link, because way more time is spent watching a video than clicking on a link," Musk added.
In a way, the move can be an incentive to "long-form content". On the other hand, the new change is likely to demotivate many users. "Twitter is now TikTok. A video of someone ranting lies will get boosted over a well-reasoned argument or scientific paper," a user lamented.
Another user opined that Twitter is now just a few algorithmic tweaks away from becoming a full-blown Instagram reels and LinkedIn combo. "It appears view time is the most important factor in the Twitter algo," he added.
