Elon Musk account on X is seen displayed on a phone screen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland, on August 21, 2023. Elon Musk aims to roll out two new features on X, formerly known as Twitter, after making the contentious announcement to remove the Block tool and the Tweepcred system. JAKUB PORZYCKI/GETTY IMAGES
After announcing the controversial removal of the “Block” feature and “Tweepcred” system, Elon Musk plans to introduce two new features on X, formerly known as Twitter.
What Happened: On Tuesday, in two separate tweets, Musk unveiled some significant changes that will soon be rolling out on the platform.
The first of these changes addresses a common user request.
A graphic designer at Dogecoin who goes by the name DogeDesigner on X suggested replacing “Subscriber” with the shorter and snappier “Sub” in notifications.
The tech billionaire expressed his agreement and said that this alteration would extend beyond notifications, finding its way into the profile section as well.
Agreed. We will make that change across the board. It’s too long in the profile section too.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 22, 2023
In another tweet, X News Daily reported that X is about to strip out the headline and text from news links, leaving only the lead image. Musk confirmed this change and indicated that the decision had been largely made by him.
This is coming from me directly. Will greatly improve the esthetics.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 22, 2023
While this move aims to enhance aesthetics, it will have far-reaching implications.
From now on, anyone sharing a link on X, whether individual users or publishers, will need to manually add their text alongside the links they share. Without this addition, the tweet will display only an image and the URL, potentially confusing users, reported Fortune citing material viewed by the publication.
The change could have profound consequences for publishers who rely on social media to drive traffic to their websites and advertisers seeking to maximize their reach on the platform.
Why It’s Important: Last week, Musk’s X was accused of limiting traffic to sites criticizing its billionaire owner. Several users observed slower speeds when accessing links websites, like The New York Times, Reuters, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Bluesky, and Substack.
Produced in association with Benzinga
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