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‘Elon Musk claims full credit for the idea.’
Engadget, a popular publication on the social network X (formerly known as Twitter), has reported that significant changes are on the horizon for the way articles appear on the platform. According to Fortune, X is planning to remove text elements from shared articles and instead display only their lead images with an overlay of the URL. Elon Musk, the CEO of X, confirmed the company’s work on this new format and revealed that the idea originated from him directly.
This news aligns with Fortune’s report, which states that Musk is driving the implementation of the new format. It is noteworthy that X moved forward with this change despite receiving negative feedback from advertisers. The primary reason behind eliminating text in shared tweets is to make posts appear less condensed and allow for more posts to be displayed on the screen within the timeline. Musk also believes that this change could help mitigate the spread of clickbait content on the platform. Currently, X’s format often truncates article headlines, benefiting websites that rely on clickbait titles.
Another motive behind this alteration could be X’s desire to encourage both news publications and individual users to create more comprehensive posts directly on the platform. By removing the text elements, users will need to provide the context within the shared URL to entice readers to click through the lead image. Musk has been actively encouraging users to post long-form content on X and even permits Blue subscribers to write posts with up to 25,000 characters. Recently, Musk tweeted that journalists seeking more freedom and higher income should publish directly on X. However, 9to5Mac points out that X has faced challenges in compensating creators through its ad revenue-sharing program due to an overwhelming number of interested users.
Overall, X’s decision to revamp the appearance of shared articles showcases the company’s commitment to enhancing user experience, combating clickbait, and encouraging content creation within its platform.