What's happened
Twitter, now called X, plans to improve how links are shared and seen, aiming to attract journalists and writers back to the platform. Meanwhile, Bluesky continues to grow as an alternative social network, emphasizing interoperability and a lighter user experience.
What's behind the headline?
Twitter's move to enhance link visibility signals a strategic attempt to regain its core user base of writers and journalists, who rely heavily on sharing external content. This shift indicates Musk's recognition that engagement depends on facilitating content sharing rather than restricting it. Bluesky's growth underscores a broader trend: users seeking platforms with less algorithmic suppression and more open protocols. Bluesky's focus on interoperability could reshape social media, breaking down silos and fostering cross-platform conversations. If successful, this could challenge the dominance of existing giants like X, especially among niche communities and those disillusioned with Musk's policies. The story reveals a tension between platform control and open communication, with potential long-term impacts on social media's structure and user experience.
What the papers say
Business Insider UK highlights Musk's initial policies to limit link sharing to keep users on X, and the company's current efforts to reverse this trend to attract journalists. AP News discusses Bluesky's growth as an alternative, driven by dissatisfaction with X's moderation and algorithm changes, and its ambitions for interoperability. The contrasting perspectives show X's strategic pivot to regain engagement and Bluesky's positioning as a more open, user-friendly platform, with the potential to influence the future landscape of social media.
How we got here
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, the platform has shifted its policies to keep users on-site, making links harder to find and share. This has led many journalists and content creators to seek alternatives. Bluesky, supported by Jack Dorsey, has gained popularity as a more open and less hostile space, with recent user growth driven by dissatisfaction with X's changes and its handling of content moderation.
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