X admits broken algorithm turned site into ‘battleground’
▼ Summary
– X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, admitted the algorithm was “missing” data about surfacing posts from users who follow each other back.
– A tweak will now “boost visibility of your posts to your mutuals” to enhance community rather than spreading random arguments.
– Bier did not explain how the data went missing in the first place.
– Last week, Bier said users who post original content will “climb faster” after admitting top accounts posted stolen, recycled content.
– The tweak may address the platform’s tilt toward strangers over community.
X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, acknowledged this week that the platform’s algorithm was failing to properly surface posts from people users actually follow back, effectively turning the feed into a “battleground” of random arguments. In a post on Monday, Bier admitted the algorithm was “missing” crucial data about mutual connections. A new tweak, he said, will “boost visibility of your posts to your mutuals,” aiming to restore a sense of community rather than amplifying strangers’ disputes. However, Bier did not explain how the data went missing in the first place.
This admission follows a previous confession from Bier last week, when he noted that top accounts on X have been posting “stolen” recycled content from other users. He then promised that users who share original content will “climb faster” in the algorithm. The latest tweak may help address the platform’s growing tilt toward conflict and content recycling, but questions linger about the underlying mechanics and transparency of X’s recommendation system.
(Source: The Verge)
