Twitter Timeline Survey: Current Users Prefer Chronological Tweets

The rumor mill has been swirling around Twitter in recent weeks thanks to a proposed new timeline that would reportedly feature tweets sorted by relevance rather than chronological order. Many hardcore Twitter fans seem to think the change would take away what makes Twitter great. But proponents of the change hope it could bring in some new users. What kind of an impact could an algorithmic Twitter timeline have on the platform?

Twitter Users

In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 53% of respondents said that they currently have a Twitter account. Another 8% have had one in the past, but don’t anymore. And 38% said they’ve never used Twitter. Of those current users, 26% said they log onto or check the platform multiple times per day. 14% do so about once per day. 20% said they check Twitter a few times per week. 9% check it about once per week. 29% of users said they rarely ever check Twitter. And 2% never do.In addition, 55% of current Twitter users said that they like the current Twitter timeline where tweets are sorted in chronological order. Just 9% of them said they dislike the current chronological timeline. And 35% were neutral or undecided. More specifically, 54% of Twitter users said they prefer the current chronological timeline rather than a timeline where tweets are sorted by relevance, similar to how Facebook posts are organized.

Twitter Timeline

Just 36% of current Twitter users said they would be likely to continue using the platform if it switches over to a timeline where tweets are sorted by relevance, rather than chronologically. 17% said they would be unlikely to continue using Twitter in that case. And 47% were neutral or undecided. However, that could change a bit if Twitter, as some have suggested, makes the new algorithmic timeline an opt-in feature. 48% of Twitter users said they would likely keep using the platform if it adds a timeline based on relevance, but doesn’t force them to only use that timeline. Just 8% said they would be unlikely to keep using Twitter under those circumstances. And 44% were neutral or undecided.

Potential Users

Of those who do not currently use Twitter, just 10% said that they would be likely to sign up if Twitter adds a timeline based on relevance. 64% said that they would be unlikely to use Twitter even after the proposed changes. And 26% were neutral or undecided at this point. You can view the complete survey results in the widget below and be sure to click “Open Full Report” to take advantage of all the chart and filter options.Photo Credit: Twitter Bird from FlickrWhat do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.

Results were collected on February 9 via AYTM’s online survey panel.