The links and press articles shared on the X platform (formerly Twitter) only appear in the form of an image, without title or description, a disappearance justified by Elon Musk for “aesthetic” reasons (AFP/Archives /Stefani Reynolds)
Elon Musk continues to transform X (formerly Twitter) by alienating many internet players, including the media, numerous NGOs and regulatory authorities, without reassuring advertisers, according to analysts.
Latest change: the links and press articles shared on the platform now only appear in the form of an image, without title or description, a disappearance justified by the billionaire for “aesthetic” reasons.
“This comes directly from me. The aesthetics (of the social network) will be greatly improved,” Elon Musk wrote in mid-August, when the change in style had already been spotted by certain media, during a phase of test.
Since Wednesday, when a user shares a press article, only the name of the media that published it still appears in a corner of the illustrative image, and a click on this image allows access to the content.
Elon Musk, who bought the social network last year, is trying to stem the fall in advertising revenue by encouraging users to spend more time on the platform, and therefore share less external links.
But the other measures taken so far (longer messages, live audio conversations with personalities, more importance given to video, etc.) do not seem to be bearing fruit.
Insider Intelligence predicts advertising revenues of less than $3 billion for X in 2023, a drop of 28% year-on-year.
– “Proof to the contrary” –
In 2022, a year marked by Elon Musk’s advances and attacks before the forced buyout in October, the platform had collected $4.14 billion, down 7% compared to 2021, its best year.
Elon Musk, boss of SpaceX, X (ex-Twitter) and Tesla, June 16, 2023 in Paris (AFP/Archives/Alain JOCARD)
Linda Yaccarino, the new general director of .
“Yaccarino and Musk have repeatedly claimed that advertisers who left Twitter after Musk’s acquisition were returning to the platform, despite evidence to the contrary,” the NGO Media Matters said in a statement Thursday.
“During Yaccarino’s 12-week tenure as CEO, the majority of the company’s top 100 advertisers spent a fraction of what they spent in the 12 weeks prior to the buyout,” the company detailed. NGOs.
The association for combating disinformation cites the example of Visa, which according to it “spent only 10 dollars in the last 12 weeks, compared to approximately 77,500 dollars in the 12 weeks before the acquisition”.
Elon Musk’s controversial approach to content moderation and chaotic new product launches, such as paid user authentication, have driven away advertisers in droves.
– Traditional press –
But the boss of Tesla and SpaceX affirmed in early September that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL, which fights anti-Semitism and racism) was “responsible for the majority of our loss of income”.
The ADL is one of the NGOs denouncing a notable increase in disinformation and homophobic and racist insults on the social network since the rules changed. However, she announced on Wednesday that she would soon start publishing advertisements again on the platform.
Elon Musk, who loves provocations, does not hide his support for the American right or his contempt for the media.
On October 3, the billionaire said he “almost never consults the traditional press. What is the point of reading 1,000 words on something that has already been shared on X several days earlier?”
In September, the European Commission published a study showing that platform of disinformation in his publications”.
This summer, Twitter was also brought before the French courts by Agence France Presse (AFP) and three French press groups, who wish to obtain information allowing them to negotiate remuneration for the use of their content, including under form of extracts.
© 2023 AFP
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