Elon Musk is advocating for a transformation in the display of news links on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, a move that has the potential to undermine the effectiveness of news outlets in attracting an audience.
According to Musk’s recent post on Monday, X intends to eliminate the headline and accompanying text when sharing links to news articles, opting to display only the primary image.
This strategic shift likely aims to encourage users to allocate more time on X and direct them towards the subscription service for a more comprehensive experience.
The ramifications of this alteration on advertisers utilizing the platform remain uncertain, particularly considering Musk’s assertion in July that the platform has a user base of 540 million individuals.
At present, news links manifest as “cards” within users’ timelines, complete with an image, source link, and a condensed headline. This presentation format fosters click-throughs and assists publishers in attracting readership.
Nevertheless, with the truncation of links, users may find themselves incorporating text into their posts. This could eventually steer users toward X’s premium service, offering the ability to compose posts with up to 25,000 characters.
These changes position X as a more pertinent platform for content creators, as emphasized by Musk. Subscribers to the premium tier can now share longer videos, enjoy heightened visibility for their posts, and also receive a portion of the advertising revenue.
(Source: Japan Times)
