People are not pleased with Twitter’s decision to use a Facebook-like newsfeed

The Twitter vs. Facebook wars continue: This week, Buzzfeed News reported that Twitter would change their timeline from reverse chronological to algorithmic (aka — just like Facebook’s timeline) as early as next week. The change will reorder the Twitter timeline “to prioritize posts most relevant to what users read and click on instead of a live feed,” according to the New York Daily News. And Twitter users are furious. So furious that invented a hashtag of their very own: #RIPTwitter, lamenting Twitter’s certain demise in the face of this change.

 Even celebrities, such as the ever-hunky and adorable Rob Lowe, have voiced their displeasure:

Before the #RIPTwitter backlash. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey commented, “You will see us continue to question our reverse chronological timeline, and all the work it takes to build one by finding and following accounts…. We continue to show a questioning of our fundamentals in order to make the product easier and more accessible to more people.” However, over the last 24-hours, Dorsey has made an about face, tweeting:

This, users are quick to point out, is not exactly a denial of the oncoming timeline algorithm shift. 

The rumor of modifications to its newsfeed comes after a rough few months for Twitter. Several executives departed the company this past January, and Twitter posted lower than expected earnings in October. It sounds like things are getting pretty rough for the once powerful social media company. Unfortunately, yesterdays #RIPTwitter debacle saw Twitter’s share price drop by 7%. This sure sounds like scary news for a company trying to find its footing. I wish them luck, but I also hope they don’t change the algorithm (or drastically increase the 140 character limit). But perhaps I’m old school… or just old.