(2022-04-16) Baschez Elon Is Right Twitter Should Open Up The Algorithm

Nathan Baschez: Elon Musk is Right: Twitter Should Open Up the Algorithm. I would go further and argue Twitter should not only open-source their algorithm so we can all see how it works, I think they should create an open marketplace for algorithms where anyone can build their own, and use algorithms created by others. (Musk Buys Twitter; algorithmic feed)

For example I’d want to try an algorithm that attempts to prioritize nuanced conversations about important topics

Would it “unlock Twitter’s true potential”? Probably not, tbh. But I do think it would be a solid step towards making Twitter a better and more fun place for everyone

There are two main advantages

First, from a purely commercial and self-interested perspective, opening up their algorithms to transparency and choice will help Twitter scale by strengthening their network effect

Second, from a societal point of view, this would be a meaningful step towards rebuilding trust, which is at an all-time low.

Let’s begin by looking at what’s in it for Twitter.

In Twitter’s case, I think it helps to think of their ranking algorithm as a “complement” to their real product, which is their network of users and tweets

Allowing anyone to develop algorithms would be a good idea for Twitter because it abides by the classic law of technology: “commoditize your complement”.

The fascinating thing about the economic concept of a ‘complement’ is that there’s kind of a blurry line between it and a ‘sub-component’.

If Twitter did decide to build a marketplace for algorithms, here’s how I’m imagining it could work:

So, in Twitter’s case, what is core? Is it the algorithm? I don’t think so. What’s most important for Twitter is that people have to send their tweets to them in order for other people to see them, and that if you want to see tweets from people you know you have to go to Twitter to get them.

How would these algorithms work? They would be machine learning models that take in a bunch of tweets and spit out an ordered version of those tweets.

only a subset of power-users would want to manually find or switch between algorithms, so part of the goal here could be to discover new techniques that could be integrated into Twitter’s main, default algorithm. It could function almost like a sort of Netflix Prize

see the option to switch back and forth between Home, which shows algorithmically-sorted feeds, or Latest, where you get a simple reverse chronological timeline.

What would happen next?

Each person’s Twitter experience would be more individualized and suited to the kind of thing they want. More types of people would be able to use Twitter more

So, what could stand in the way? I think there are probably three main risks:

First, it might be hard to get developers to build algorithms.

The third risk I see is more on a societal level. Some might make the argument that this would only increase polarization by sorting people into ever more distant filter bubbles

This brings me to my final point: the effect I think this change could have on societal trust.

I do think Elon is right to note that trust is at an all-time low. As he put it, “Civilizational risk is decreased the more we can increase the trust in Twitter as a public platform.”

For better or worse, a large percentage of the population is suspicious of Twitter

Paradoxically, the most powerful way to rebuild trust is to stop asking for it, and start giving people transparency and control instead.

Second, even if there were a pretty good supply of algorithms created by developers, maybe nobody would use them.