News headlines are no longer a thing on X, aka Twitter. Controversial X Owner, Elon Musk, said the move will “greatly improve the aesthetics” of the social platform.
Now, news stories will only have the main photo associated with an article visible, and to see the headline, users must click on the lead image taking them to the full story.
One X user named Danika said, “Aesthetics are one thing, knowing what you’re going to read to want to click on it in the first place is another.”
Other X users asked how can you know what the story is about only with an image and question the change altogether.
One user said the removal of a headline is a “step backward,” while another said, “There has to be a better way than just the image with no context.”
Cutting headlines is just another update Musk has made lately. He also has been giving tips to journalists and X users, such as suggesting users should post long-form content on X.
“Please encourage more citizen journalism! You can do live video easily from your phone. More on-the-ground reporting from regular citizens will change the world,” Musk said in a recent livestream.
Beyond the headline change, Musk has said he is also considering making X a subscription service for all of its 360 million-plus users to pay for using the platform to stop hate speech.
“The single most important reason we’re moving to have a small monthly payment for use of the X system is it’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” Musk said.
It was not said how much this will set users back, but Musk did say it would be “lower-tier pricing,” which could mean lower perhaps than the $8-per-month X charges its premium subscribers.
“We’re wanting it to be just a small amount of money,” said the billionaire.
With revenue down 60%, the subscription could solve many of X’s problems if users decide to keep it.
On the loss of revenue, Musk has said it stems from the Anti-Defamation League after the nonprofit reported a significant uptick in hate speech on X following the return of banned accounts on the platform.
In answer to the claim, Musk tweeted that the ADL was “trying to kill this platform by falsely accusing it & me of being anti-Semitic.”
