X's new feature sorts posts by likes for logged-out users
X (formerly Twitter) has implemented a change that sorts posts by like count instead of chronological order. The new arrangement of posts, formerly called tweets, appears on profiles when viewed by logged-out users. This update, initially discovered by 9to5Google, gives priority to popular posts over newer and more recent ones. However, when users are logged in, the posts continue to appear in chronological order.
Even pinned posts appear lower in feeds
Interestingly, this change also affects pinned posts, as they no longer appear at the top of a user's feed when viewed by logged-out users. This undermines the primary purpose of pinning a post. It's important to note that the new feature sorts posts based on likes rather than views, so posts with higher view counts but fewer likes will rank lower in the feed.
It could push people to follow profiles or sign up
While the exact reason for this change remains uncertain, it could be an attempt to entice logged-out users to follow profiles or sign up for the service by showcasing popular posts first. However, the most-liked post of a person could be from years ago. It needs to be seen whether people would be interested in that. This update is just one of many transformations X has undergone since Elon Musk took over the company last year.
