The Science Behind Twitter Trends- How They're Determined and Ranked
Elon Musk Slams Twitter's Blue Checkmark System: Calls for Power to the People
Twitter's current lords peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark is bullshit. Power to the people! Blue for $8/month. Elon Musk @elonmusk November 1, 2022
| Twitter Trending Factors | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Number of Tweets | The more tweets about a specific topic, the more likely it is to become a trend |
| Velocity of Tweets | A lot of tweets sent in a short amount of time increases the likelihood of it becoming a trend |
| Geographical Location | Twitter trends are determined based on location, with trends in specific regions determined by the location of tweets |
| Relevance of Tweets | Relevant tweets are those that are most likely to be of interest to users, such as tweets from popular accounts, popular hashtags, and links to articles or videos |
| Freshness of Tweets | The algorithm prioritizes new, real-time tweets over older, less relevant ones |
Twitter Trends are one of the most powerful tools for understanding what people are talking about on the platform. But have you ever wondered how these trends are determined and ranked? In this blog, we will dive into the science behind Twitter Trends to understand how they work and what factors influence their placement.
Twitter Trends are determined based on an algorithm that takes into account several different factors. The first and most important factor is the number of tweets about a particular topic. The more tweets that are sent about a specific topic, the more likely it is to become a trend. Additionally, the velocity of tweets is also taken into account. This means that if a lot of tweets are being sent in a short amount of time, it is more likely to become a trend.
Another important factor in determining trends is the geographical location of the tweets. Twitter allows users to set their location, which can then be used to determine trending topics in specific regions. For example, if a lot of tweets are being sent about a particular event in a specific city, it is more likely to become a trend in that city.
The relevance of the tweets is also taken into account when determining trends. Relevant tweets are those that are most likely to be of interest to users. This can include tweets from popular accounts, tweets that contain popular hashtags, and tweets that contain links to articles or videos.
Finally, the freshness of the tweets is also considered when determining trends. The algorithm gives priority to new tweets that are sent in real-time, as opposed to older tweets that may no longer be relevant.
Twitter Algorithm:
A set of rules that determine the ranking and visibility of posts on the platform. It is based on multiple factors like location, virality, personal interests, recency, and the presence of media. The inner workings of the algorithm are kept secret and use machine learning to sort content based on ranking signals. The algorithm is a combination of multiple algorithms and changes over time.
Twitter Timelines:
Two options are available, the Home timeline or Top Tweets, which is algorithmically driven and shows the most important posts based on the user's interaction and interests, and the Latest Tweets, which shows the reverse chronological order of tweets from followed accounts.
Twitter Topics:
A feature introduced in 2019 that allows users to follow specific topics instead of individual accounts. Topics cover different subjects like celebrities, musicians, sports, and conversations.
At Bluetrends, we understand the science behind Twitter trends and how they are determined and ranked. To see this in action, head over to our website at https://bluetrends.vercel.app to view the latest 24-hour trending hashtags from all over the world. You can even see the trending hashtags for a specific location by navigating to the country-specific page, such as https://bluetrends.vercel.app/egypt. Stay ahead of the curve and join in on the conversation with the help of Bluetrends.
Elon Musk: Suggested making Twitter's algorithm open source after acquiring the platform, with the goal of unlocking its potential and making it transparent.
“One of the things that I believe Twitter should do is open source the algorithm, and make any changes to people’s tweets, if they are emphasized or de-emphasized, that action should be made apparent so anyone can see that that action has been taken. So there’s no sort of behind the scenes manipulation, either algorithmically or manually.” ~ @elonmusk
Conclusion: The Science Behind Twitter's Trending Topics
In conclusion, the science behind Twitter's trending topics is a combination of algorithms and human editors. The algorithms use data on the number of tweets, the velocity of tweets, and the engagement level of users to determine the popularity score of each topic. The human editors play a crucial role in ensuring that the trending topics are relevant, accurate, and not offensive. The combination of these two elements ensures that the trending topics on Twitter are relevant, timely, and of interest to the users.