This week, Elon Musk advised X users that the most effective method to increase engagement is by sharing lengthy content directly on the platform instead of including links to external websites.
Mr. Musk, who owns X, responded to a chart showing that news redirects from Facebook and X have declined dramatically in the past year. He said the X algorithm is intentionally biased against external links.
“Our algorithm aims to maximize efficiency in terms of time spent on X,” he explained. “Therefore, links receive less emphasis as they result in less time spent when users click away.”
The majority of X users do not have permission to share lengthy content. Only those who subscribe to X Premium can post content that exceeds a few characters.
Mr. Musk’s comment signals a new direction for the site that has long been known for its short text content. When the site was called Twitter, it was widely used by news organizations and freelance writers to link to their blogs or websites.
After assuming control of the company in late 2020, Mr. Musk promptly expressed his disapproval of such practices. He quickly engaged in a verbal dispute with the blogging platform Substack and limited access to links from the site.
More recently, Mr. Musk announced he would remove headlines from news article links, a move that many in the industry saw as a direct attack on the news business. Mr. Musk said removing headlines would “improve aesthetics.”
Mr. Musk also has worked to secure content besides text since he took ownership of X. He persuaded former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to provide his show on X, and has hinted at hosting sports content on the site.
Mr. Musk’s intention to broaden the range of X’s content is probably a component of his strategy to transform the social network into a comprehensive application that offers various services, encompassing shopping and entertainment.
