Musk's latest X-periments: No more headlines, old posts vanish, block gets banned
- Reference: 1692728650
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/08/22/x_link_chaos/
- Source link:
Musk [1]confirmed early this morning that the headline-stripping decision came from him directly, only adding that the move "will greatly improve the esthetics" [sic] of his [2]ailing social media plaything.
News of the move was initially broken by Fortune, which [3]said it had viewed internal material from X that confirmed all descriptive information would be expunged from links, essentially forcing X users to add their own text, lest their tweets simply appear to be mysterious outbounds to undescribed web pages. Fortune's unnamed sources inside Twitter claimed the objective was to "reduce the height of tweets," thus allowing more content to fit on a user's screen at a time.
[4]
Fitting more posts on a page would likely boost engagement numbers too, we note.
[5]
[6]
The unnamed source also shared that advertisers weren't happy with the move, but X was going ahead with it anyways. Ad revenue has reportedly halved at X since Musk's takeover, and new CEO Linda Yaccarino's [7]mandate to revitalize ad revenue may not be made any easier by the decision.
Musk also said yesterday that X would do away with [8]Tweepcred , an internal analysis tool that uses an implementation of Google's PageRank algorithm to determine a user's influence (on a scale of 1-100) on Twitter/X. News of Tweepcred's existence was revealed when Musk [9]opened up Twitter's algorithm to external scrutiny.
[10]
Musk's statement that Tweepcred "will be deleted. Not simply renamed. Deleted" came in response to Twitter users complaining that Tweepcred meant their accounts would be penalized for interacting with low-reputation accounts.
The pair of orders follow claims from the world's richest man on Friday that X would also [11]eliminate blocking from the platform, except for direct messages, which many users feared would enable [12]more harassment on the platform.
Musk's block-killing statement echoed his [13]earlier calls for the elimination of the block list on Twitter in favor of a stronger form of mute, which prevents the muter from seeing anything the mutee has posted. Unlike blocking, however, the muted individual can still see content posted by the person who muted them.
[14]
Both [15]Google Play and [16]Apple's App Store require social media apps to give users the ability to block offensive content and users. Whether X would run afoul of that requirement is unclear – by retaining a mute option, X may be allowed to remain in mobile app stores.
None of that matters if X collapses entirely
All of Musk's decrees rely on one key element: X has to survive, and not even Elon is sure it can.
"The sad truth is that there are no great 'social networks' right now," Musk xeeted on Saturday. "We may fail, as so many have predicted, but we will try our best to make there be at least one," the X owner added.
[17]Musk's X caught throttling outbound links to websites he doesn't like
[18]Cage match: Zuck finally realizes Elon is full of twit
[19]X-rated auction sells last vestiges of pre-Musk Twitter
[20]X tries to win back advertisers with brand safety promises
Musk's post came not long after news broke that tweets published prior to December 2014 containing images and links shortened by Twitter weren't displaying properly, spurring some to [21]speculate that Twitter had removed the media entirely.
It took X until Monday to acknowledge the issue, which it [22]said was caused by "a bug that prevented us from displaying images from before 2014." The issue, X's Support account said, was resolved, no images had actually been deleted, "and the issue will be fully resolved in the coming days."
X offered no additional explanation. Still, it's possible there is a ready explanation – or at least a coincidence that X could clear up if it would provide more details.
In 2016, Twitter [23]added enhanced URL enrichment that "provides a web site's HTML title and description in the Tweet payload, along with Operators for matching on those," essentially allowing for tweets to be indexed and searchable while still retaining shortened URLs from t.co, bit.ly, and other link shorteners.
X states in its documentation that metadata would be pulled for URL enrichment going back to December 2014 – the point from which earlier tweets were experiencing errors loading images.
Whether the weekend's image trouble was due to X's [24]instability since Musk's takeover, or related to Musk's other decrees to change how X displays and handles links, is unclear, as usual – the company only responded to our questions with an automated response that it would get back to us soon.
Since eliminating the poop emoji, X has yet to actually get back to us. ®
Get our [25]Tech Resources
[1] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1693843680904216619
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/31/twitter_value_decline/
[3] https://fortune.com/2023/08/21/elon-musk-plans-remove-headlines-news-articles-link-shared-on-x-twitter/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZOUwBq6409qwZ1iR@LWj0gAAAZQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZOUwBq6409qwZ1iR@LWj0gAAAZQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZOUwBq6409qwZ1iR@LWj0gAAAZQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/05/yaccarino_takes_twitter_helm_early/
[8] https://github.com/twitter/the-algorithm/blob/main/src/scala/com/twitter/graph/batch/job/tweepcred/README
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/10/elon_musks_twitter_opensource_foulup/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZOUwBq6409qwZ1iR@LWj0gAAAZQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1692558414105186796?t=EdyRxGsju67txX8rd9bEIg&s=19
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/19/musk_says_twitter_advertisers_can/
[13] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1666594707621773312?lang=en
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZOUwBq6409qwZ1iR@LWj0gAAAZQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9876937?hl=en
[16] https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/16/x_throttling_links/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/14/zuck_elon_cage_fight/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/14/twitter_x_auction/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/09/x_tries_to_win_back/
[21] https://twitter.com/tomcoates/status/1692922211416334597
[22] https://twitter.com/Support/status/1693732980324536695
[23] https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-api/enterprise/data-dictionary/tweet-timeline
[24] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/06/twitter_features_outage/
[25] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Accessibility?
I don't use the thing but as described in the article this sounds like information generally used by accessibility support tools such as screen readers will be lost - is that the case? In many jurisdictions there is a legal requirement to ensure equal access to services for those with accessibility needs.
Re: Accessibility?
It looks like it will affect everyone, not just those using accessibility tools. If someone included a link and didn't provide a label of their own, it would show the title of the destination page. Now, it's going to be some opaque mystery link which probably shows a shortened URL. People can either click through to go who knows where or get the link and use the various tricks to get the shortener to tell you what the long URL is. I wonder how many people know those tricks and how many people know that it's useful. I only know the methods for three of the shorteners, and one of them is tinyurl which I don't think people use too much anymore.
so blocking just blocks them from seeing you?
Never used twitter myself. But have seen screenshots over the years where "XYZ user has blocked you". So that person who was blocked couldn't see the stuff from the person blocking them, is that how it worked?
I always thought that idea was dumb(maybe for once I agree with Elon, not sure). I mean how hard is it to sign up for another account to get around the block?(assumed it wasn't hard, or even easier perhaps simply view the blocking user's tweets while not logged in to twitter so it doesn't know you are blocked?). Not as if you need to change your primary account to this new account to get around the block, but if you are REALLY interested in seeing what that person(that doesn't like you) has to say, it seems pretty trivial to do regardless of block.
But maybe there is more to blocking than just that aspect. I read recently that users were blocking advertisers(I think? unsure how that works, I assume the intent is so they don't see the ads from those advertisers? but that sounds more like "muting"(can't see the advertiser) vs blocking (advertiser can't see you). But of course never having used the platform, not sure what those terms mean to users on twitter(I mean X).
Re: so blocking just blocks them from seeing you?
I agree with you. At least previously, it was possible to see what someone had posted without logging in. This was useful used by me as I didn't have an account but sometimes people would post links to Twitter posts to show what someone had said. In my experience, it always took a long time if I needed to read more than one tweet at a time, but it was an option. As such, it would seem that blocking someone wouldn't stop them from viewing what you'd written very long as all they'd have to do is open a private window and view it anonymously. Maybe I'm missing something, but otherwise the block and mute options sound basically the same from harassment potential.
Re: so blocking just blocks them from seeing you?
Block means they can't reply to your threads and you don't see their posts, mute means they can reply to your threads but you don't see the posts.
The difference is RWNJs still get to stomp all over your threads and insult you if they want and your followers get to see that even though you don't.
“we will try our best to make there be at least one”
Such support for the Zuck!
Nice.
All this money and bother, for what?
It’s just social media.
If only the same money was put into affordable public housing.
Terrorists
X has become the Russian terrorist misinformation platform.
If you report them, expect having your account suspended.
Something authorities should be look into.
Continual tinkering is just getting boring
Why not just move straight to the desired end destination? Elon can get 250 Neuralink electrodes wired into his brain, connect the cables to the internet, then retire to a nutrient fluid cylinder and simply broadcast his commands thoughts and other people's messages he approves off to his legion of followers 24 hours a day.
'The pair of orders follow claims from the world's richest man on Friday that X would also eliminate blocking from the platform, except for direct messages, which many users feared would enable more harassment on the platform.'
To Elmo, more harassment on the platform is a /feature/. That is why he decided to buy it in the first place, to make it for friendly for racists, nazis, and right wing trolls. He even said this, though he didn't explicitly name them as racists, nazis, and right wing trolls for some reason *cough*.
Also, can you just stop calling them X in the headlines? It's still Twitter, f@#$ Elmo. Don't give him the satisfaction of playing along with his every stupid whim. You could call it Twxttxr, or if you need it for the SEO, then say 'Twitter (aka X)'.
"reduce the height of tweets"
Well, yes, cutting them off at the knees will reduce their height, but maybe, just maybe, they will also lose a bit of functionality?
(Resisting the temptation for the obvious comment, about "maybe if we demonstrate cutting off at the knees on Musk, he'll get the idea").
Re: "reduce the height of tweets"
I'm reminded of Mao ordering that Chinese farmers would double productivity by planting closer.
"but we will try our best to make there be at least one"
> "The sad truth is that there are no great 'social networks' right now," Musk's xit said on Saturday. "We may fail, as so many have predicted, but we will try our best to make there be at least one," the X owner added.
So which one will that be? As he X-its the social space, will he put his backing squarely behind Make America OnLine Great Again?
It is amazing
How every decision of his makes Twitter worse. He hasn't made a single change that has improved it!
...Musk Xcreeted on Saturday.
FTFY
BTW, the poop emoji did not vanish. It has simply altered image and has now taken form of the site's usual Xcreetions.