X wants to conceal news link headlines for aesthetic reasons
X, formerly Twitter and now owned by Elon Musk, plans to test out a new method for displaying news links without a headline or description. Fortune reported that the social network will only display the link and the header image in a post.
Musk confirmed the action in a Monday blog post and stated that it originated “directly” from him. The change would “greatly improve the aesthetics,” he said.
Currently, a Twitter card for a news article or blog post displays the headline and summary text (only on the web) in addition to the logo image in the post’s preview card. If the proposed change is implemented, X will only display the image with a link in a post. This means that if a publication or blog does not include any accompanying text with the link, users will only see the article’s link and image.
According to a source for Fortune, the update seeks to reduce the height of a post so that more posts can fit on a single screen. According to the same source, Musk believes that removing headings from the preview card will reduce clickbait. However, without a preview card, publications and blogs can write any text they choose to encourage users to select the link.
Musk recently stated that journalists seeking more freedom and a higher income should publish directly on X.
The Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency filed a lawsuit against X in France earlier this month due to a “clear refusal” to negotiate the remuneration sharing of its news content on the platform. While it remains to be seen whether the AFP will prevail in its copyright law challenge to X under France’s adjacent right for news, the social network appears to be becoming less hospitable toward displaying news links, which may not be a coincidence.
Over the weekend, a bug on X broke URLs and images posted before December 2014 using the platform’s native service. Later, the company acknowledged the issue via its support account on the platform and stated that the problem would be remedied in the coming days.
Additionally, X is in the process of replacing the functionality of barring users with a redesigned mute feature that will allow users to essentially follow someone without the ability to interact with them.
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