Khaberni - The platform X launched a new feature to improve user engagement with posts containing links, in hopes of encouraging journalists to return to the platform, especially after a decline in referrals to news sites and strained relations with the media during the era of X's billionaire American owner, Elon Musk.
Nikita Perr, head of product at X, said that the feature began to appear for iOS browser users to facilitate their interaction with posts containing links, allowing them to like or reply while browsing a site link without leaving the app.
Perr mentioned in a post on X a common complaint that posts containing links tend to get less reach because the web browser completely covers the post when visiting the links, making browsers forget to like or reply, which disrupts X platform's ability to register a clear signal about the quality and importance of the content.
Journalists and other content creators who share links often resorted to posting screenshots and placing the link in the reply to improve reach.
Another post by the X official revealed the core purpose of the new feature saying, "If you're a writer or journalist who left X in the past two years, coming back might be the biggest opportunity in your professional life."
X platform discouraged posts containing links and disproportionately promoted right-wing political content, and restricted access to certain news sites in the past, according to the Neiman Lab site specialized in journalism and media affairs.
Despite not being substantial, referrals to news sites from X have drastically dropped in recent years. Institutions such as France's Le Monde, America's NPR, and Britain's The Guardian have completely left the platform, and X has suspended several journalists' accounts, some of whom had written reports about the platform's owner, Elon Musk.
Katie Notopoulos, a reporter for Business Insider, commented on the feature stating that it does not affect the X platform's algorithm but reduces the navigation process for liking or resharing a topic while visiting the link, making browsers more aware that they are still inside the app.
Since taking over the platform about three years ago, Elon Musk, who has 227 million followers on his account, has made 1017 posts attacking the press, ranging from insults to delegitimizing professional news media.
Reporters Without Borders concluded after analyzing the business magnate's account that he attacked the media approximately three times a day from September 2024 to last month.
