Once again, many users of Twitter are upset by an imposed change that affects the way people log into the social platform and browse tweets. Before this change, which appears to have been implemented on Thursday or Friday, people are now unable to browse the web version of Twitter if they were not logged into an account. Possible reasons for why this change occurred have been put forward, but concerns have also been raised about how it will affect the overall quality of Twitter and any attempt to search for accurate information on a topic.
To see the change for yourself, you can get a link to a tweet, go to the web version of Twitter on either a desktop or mobile device, and try to view that tweet when you’re not logged in. You will be presented with a wall asking you to log in to Twitter or set up an account if you want to view the tweet.
For those sticking exclusively to the app version of Twitter, this may not seem important, but the ability to quickly search for a tweet on a device or browser you’re not logged into is gone. It’s true that viewing tweets that way was previously limited, as you’d be asked if you wanted to create an account or log in anyway, and certain tweets deemed to contain sensitive content weren’t viewable if you weren’t logged in, but you could still Quickly search for a tweet if you wanted to reference it. With many companies (including game developers) using Twitter as their primary place to share information, the ability to quickly check if someone has said something or just get the latest information on a topic is gone unless you’re logged in.
Other platforms like Facebook and Instagram have a similar thing, where access is limited if you’re not logged in, but Twitter appears to be the first of the big three to completely block their content unless you’re logged in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, It’s very annoying that Instagram this and now Twitter, I understand that this mitigates bullying from toxic partners a bit… I guess. But it’s also going to make quick queries more difficult. I wonder what will happen to tweets embedded in a note like this.