Elon Musk-owned X to Display News Links without Headlines or Descriptions
In a move confirmed by Elon Musk, X (formerly Twitter) plans to roll out a new way of displaying news links. Instead of showing headlines and descriptions, the social network will only display the link and header image in a post. According to Musk, this change will greatly improve aesthetics.
Currently, when sharing a news article or blog post on X, a preview card is displayed with the headline, summary text (only on web), and header image. However, if the proposed change is implemented, X will only show the image alongside the link in a post. This means that if a publication or blog doesn’t include any accompanying text, users will only see the link and image for the article.
A source revealed that the update aims to reduce the height of a post, allowing more posts to fit on one screen. Additionally, Musk believes that removing headlines from the preview card will help reduce clickbait. However, without the preview card, publications or blogs can simply write enticing text to encourage users to click on the link.
Interestingly, Musk also recently encouraged journalists seeking more freedom and higher income to publish directly on X.
Over the weekend, a bug on X caused links and images posted using the platform’s native service prior to December 2014 to break. The company acknowledged the glitch through its support account on the platform and stated that it would be fully resolved in the coming days.
X is also working on replacing the functionality of blocking users with a revamped mute feature. This new feature will allow users to follow someone without being able to interact with them.