Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, has been actively promoting X (formerly known as Twitter) as a news platform. In a recent post on X, Musk expressed his disinterest in consuming what he referred to as “legacy media propaganda” and urged people to turn to the microblogging site for their news needs.
In his X post, Musk stated, “I don’t read the legacy media propaganda much anymore. It’s a waste of time and a sadness generator.” He advocated for X as a superior alternative, citing its immediacy, a wealth of subject matter experts, and a generous dose of humor as reasons to prefer it for news consumption.
This declaration aligns with Musk’s earlier announcement in August, where he unveiled X’s plans to modify the way news articles are presented on the platform. The proposed change involves displaying only the lead image from news article links, eliminating the headline and text. Currently, news links appear as “cards” on users’ timelines, complete with an image, source address, and a condensed headline. This format encourages user engagement and helps publishers attract readers.
Musk’s intention behind this alteration is likely aimed at increasing user engagement on X and incentivizing users to opt for the platform’s subscription service for access to more detailed content. As users adapt to the new format, they may find themselves inclined to include additional text in their posts. Eventually, some users might consider X’s premium service, which allows posts of up to 25,000 characters.
Elon Musk’s active promotion of X as a news source underscores his vision for the platform as a dynamic and immediate information hub, challenging traditional media outlets. The extent to which users embrace this shift in news consumption remains to be seen.