Twitter Circles
Twitter circles the once-beloved feature that brought a touch of exclusivity to the platform, is no more. Much like the age-old game of tic-tac-toe, X, formerly known as Twitter, has decided that Xs and cannot coexist peacefully.
Circles, now just a distant memory, allowed users to post their thoughts and updates to a select, private audience, akin to Instagram’s Close Friends feature. It provided a more intimate social media experience, allowing you to share your life with a chosen group of friends, shielded from the prying eyes of the entire internet. After all, isn’t one of the internet’s greatest pleasures the ability to emotionally vent without the fear of consequences?
However, the Circle had a habit of reminding us that nothing on the internet is truly free from consequences. While the feature worked seamlessly most of the time, it wasn’t without its flaws. In February, some users noticed that their Circle tweets were reaching a broader audience than intended. These glitches resurfaced in April, prompting X (formerly Twitter) to issue a rare apology in May, acknowledging the problem.
Even when Circle tweets were genuinely private, they didn’t always appear that way. The green banner signifying a Circle post was a bit unreliable, leading to paranoid messages from friends who wondered if they accidentally shared personal updates with the world.
But amid the farewell to Twitter Circles, one user’s “most treasured joke” will be sorely missed. This user maintained a Circle audience consisting of only one person: Tony Hawk. The uniqueness of Circles allowed users to include individuals who didn’t follow them, and, intriguingly, these people couldn’t remove themselves from the Circle.
Concerns have arisen about the potential exposure of private musings now that Circles have been retired. Fortunately, there haven’t been any reported incidents of private content going public. Still, with the unpredictable nature of X, you might want to consider removing any sensitive content just in case.
The reasons behind X’s decision to sunset Circles remain unclear
Perhaps it will return as a paid feature, akin to another beloved tool, TweetDeck, now rebranded as X Pro. Users, understandably, might be irked if they have to pay to regain features they previously enjoyed for free. The future of Twitter Circles may be uncertain, but the nostalgia for this exclusive feature lingers on in the hearts of those who cherished its uniqueness.
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