Elon Musk Announces Changes to X Over Negativity Concerns: 'Too Much Negativity Is Being Pushed'

Bibhu Pattnaik

January 5, 2025

Benzinga

Elon Musk announced a significant “algorithm tweak” on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. This move aims to mitigate the “excessive negativity” that has been a growing concern on the platform.

What Happened: Elon Musk made the announcement via an X post, stating his goal to “maximize unregretted user-seconds.”

Musk took the reins of Twitter in October 2022 and reinstated several previously suspended conservative figures, including President-elect Donald Trump, who was removed from the platform following the Capitol Hill riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Algorithm tweak coming soon to promote more informational/entertaining content. We will publish the changes to @XEng.

Our goal is to maximize unregretted user-seconds. Too much negativity is being pushed that technically grows user time, but not unregretted user time.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 4, 2025

Musk has been at the center of several controversial interventions on X. His latest announcement regarding the algorithm change has elicited a range of reactions from social media users.

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Musk has stated that the new algorithm will prioritize more informational and entertaining content. He also mentioned that they are exploring ways for users to dynamically adjust their content feed.

Why It Matters: Musk’s decision to tweak the algorithm comes at a time when social media platforms are under scrutiny for their content moderation policies.

The move is seen as an attempt to balance freedom of speech with the need to maintain a positive and respectful discourse on the platform. However, the impact of this algorithm change on the platform and its users remains to be seen.

As the platform continues to evolve under Musk’s leadership, users and observers alike will be keenly watching the changes and their effects on the platform’s user experience and overall atmosphere.

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