Elon Musk says Twitter's algorithm 'manipulating users', suggests solutions

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday said that microblogging site Twitter's algorithm might be manipulating users and also suggested a solution for that.

Musk, in a series of tweets, mentioned that it is very important to fix the Twitter feed and shared how it can be done.

"You are being manipulated by the algorithm in ways you do not realise. Easy to switch back and forth to see the difference," Musk wrote on the microblogging site.

To fix the Twitter feed, Musk mentioned users can tap the home button, then, tap stars on the upper right of the screen and select "Latest tweets".

Meanwhile, former CEO Jack Dorsey replied in the tweet and said that the Twitter algorithm "was designed simply to save you time".

Musk later mentioned that he is not suggesting any malice in the algorithm.

"I am not suggesting malice in the algorithm, but rather that it is trying to guess what you might want to read and, in doing so, inadvertently manipulate/ amplify your viewpoints without you realising this is happening," Musk wrote.

Recently, annoyed at the presence of fake users on Twitter after putting the $44 billion takeover deal on hold, the Tesla CEO said that his team was busy finding out the presence of fake/spam accounts with the random sampling process.

Musk stunned the world by saying that he was putting Twitter take over on hold because he does not believe in Twitter findings which say that false or spam accounts represent fewer than 5 per cent of its monetisable daily active users (229 million).

--IANS

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