Twitter has recently announced a number of controversial changes coming to the social media platform, which many users are taking issue with. These changes are specifically for cross promotion about other social media platforms, which will be enacted on both account level and individual tweet level. This is just another issue in the conveyor belt of controversies that have come up during Elon Musk's brief tenure as Twitter CEO.
Ever since Musk's buyout of Twitter a few months ago, the reception has been less than flattering to say the least. From derision and mockery of the CEO, checkmark verification chaos, Twitter layoffs, and a whole other slew of controversies, Musk has become the punchline for its users. Despite this, Musk claims that the platform is committed to free speech, before announcing a policy that some users believe directly contradicts that notion. This was announced on the Twitter support account, stating that the platform won't be allowing any accounts or tweets that cross promote to other platforms.
The tweet thread starts by noting how its users have been active on other social media platforms, and from here on will no longer allow free promotion of certain social media sites. Moreover, Twitter will begin removing accounts, tweets and prohibiting posts about 3rd-party social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon. Twitter will also be banning accounts or tweets that have social media link aggregators like linktr.ee and lnk.bio as well.
It states that there are cases that won't violate this new policy, such as general cross posting or paid promotion/advertising for any of the prohibited platforms. This announcement still riled up a number of users, especially artists, as it essentially shuts down any way for users to promote content and causes them to be unfairly punished for connecting with others through social media platforms that aren't Twitter. The fact this policy was implemented after users had already started performing a mass exodus of Twitter and the site was "losing" to other platforms led to more criticism.
Other users like those in Europe raised concerns about this move, as they have claimed it violates laws within the region. Some theorize it could potentially see a geoblock in Europe in the future. Some have already tried to post certain tweets about social media platforms and have been met with failure. Other platforms such as YouTube or Twitch are exempt from this policy, which only raises more concerns about the future of Twitter and its longevity under Musk's management. Twitter is an important resource for announcements, news, and other expressions of creativity, and these new policies are causing more anxiety among its user base, with many thinking that it's only a matter of time before the platform becomes unusable.