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Musk unfriends ‘#’; X users push back
The CEO of X has declared that hashtags are unnecessary and downright unattractive.
File photo. / Reuters
Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), has urged users to stop using hashtags, a tool long associated with organizing and identifying specific topics on the platform.
The move marks another shift in Musk's vision for X, which he acquired two years ago. The platform now boasts new features such as video and audio calls, job postings, and Grok, its AI-powered chatbot.
Musk’s remarks came in response to a post where Grok criticized hashtags as “as useful as a screen door on a submarine.” Musk echoed the sentiment, posting, “Please stop using hashtags. The system doesn’t need them anymore and they look ugly.”
While Musk claims the platform no longer requires hashtags to track posts, many users disagree. Hashtags, which have been a staple of social media for years, are widely seen as a means to analyze trends and facilitate searches for specific topics.
Grok, the AI chatbot, described hashtags as “a desperate cry into the void of the internet” and “your ticket to nowhere.” Musk's agreement with Grok has raised eyebrows, as the chatbot operates on a platform he owns. Critics argue the move reflects Musk’s evolving approach to X’s algorithm, which now determines post visibility without relying on hashtags.
Netizens stand divided
Musk’s stance has sparked a lively debate among X users. One user dismissed hashtags as outdated, writing, “Hashtags are so 2007. We are the media now.” However, another defended them, arguing, “Hashtags are part of history and allow users to coalesce around an issue or project and identify like-minded users quickly and easily.”
Others took aim at the platform’s algorithmic approach. “This kind of stuff is exactly why certain accounts get millions of undeserved impressions,” one user said, criticizing the lack of user control over what content appears in their feeds, “The fact that the algorithm doesn’t ‘need’ hashtags is proof the algorithm over manipulates the content we see.”
Another added, “Hashtag or not, speech without reach is the worst form of censorship.”
While Musk aims to redefine social media dynamics, the hashtag debate brings out the tension between user preferences and the platform’s evolving features. Whether hashtags fade into obscurity remains to be seen, but for now, they remain a symbol of resistance for many on X.
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