Elon Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will strip headlines from articles posted on the site.
The plan was first reported by the US website Fortune, and is expected to complicate news media outlets’ effort to draw traffic to their content on Twitter/X.
Mr Musk confirmed the plan in a post and said the change would “greatly improve the aesthetics.”
“This is coming from me directly. Will greatly improve the esthetics,” Musk wrote on Twitter/X on Monday.
Key details to note
Fortune reported that instead of displaying headlines alongside other texts, X will display just the link and the header image in a post. Publishers will be able to add text to the post.
In the current Twitter preview card for news articles or blog posts, X displays the headline and summary text along with the header image.
In the new plan, if a publication or a blog doesn’t post any accompanying text with the link, users will only see the link and the image for that article.
Fortune cited a source who said the move will enable more posts on one screen and that Musk thinks it will help minimize clickbait.
Mr Musk did not say when the plan will be rolled out.
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On Tuesday, Mr Musk said journalists vying for more freedom and higher income should directly publish on X.
Mr Musk’s move is move to remove headlines is also seen as an attempt to increase user engagement on X and encourage adoption of the platform’s subscription service, which offers longer posts and benefits for content creators.
The billionaire has introduced several changes since he took over the platform, many aimed at encouraging users to set up paid subscription.
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