Summary
Elon Musk confirmed that X (formerly Twitter) deprioritizes posts containing links, encouraging users to post links in replies instead.
This practice, aimed at keeping users on the platform, has drawn criticism for restricting access to external information and harming media outlets’ traffic.
Past reports revealed X also delayed links to rival platforms and news outlets, prompting concerns about press freedom and revenue impacts.
The Guardian recently left X, labeling it “toxic,” while other media and free speech advocates accuse the platform of enabling disinformation and controlling narratives.
It’s like with cults - it’s a source of affirmation that their opinions and emotions are the right ones. It pairs really well with fascism because the fascists give you somebody to blame, and then the Twitter cult content farm tells you that you’re righteous in your hatred.
And that’s also why it’s so hard to break people away from it. To break away, they’d have to recognize and admit that they’re wrong, that everything they’ve done up to that point hasn’t been justified, and that they’ll have to face the consequences of what they’ve done (“are we the baddies?”). After a certain point, the sunk cost fallacy sets in, and people will double down on the cult rather than admit that they were wrong, even when they know it.