Once known as the top platform for real-time updates, X is now facing challenges in maintaining its reputation. In the past, during the Twitter era, people turned to X for breaking news from a mix of trusted sources and journalists.
However, recent events, especially the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel, have shown that X is struggling with a flood of false information. This is alarming, especially when considering that there have been 50 million posts on this topic alone.
If X can’t offer reliable news, people might go back to directly checking news websites to make sure they’re getting the truth.
The Rise of Misinformation: What’s Behind It?
Several reasons have led to the rise of misinformation on X, especially concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict:
- X’s system for verifying users has changed. The blue checks, which once showed that a user was important and trustworthy, now sometimes point to sources that spread false info. This is because X’s “For You” feed promotes these sources, and they can even make money from it.
- X made an update that took away headlines, making it harder to tell which sources are real and which aren’t.
- Elon Musk, who had a big role in the company, made decisions that didn’t help. He reduced the team that fights against false info to save money. He also stopped using a tool that found and stopped campaigns spreading lies.
- Musk even told users to follow two accounts that were spreading wrong info about the war. One of these accounts was even spreading hate against Jewish people.
Before the recent attack, the Anti-Defamation League warned about the increase of content on X that was against Jewish people. But instead of addressing it, Musk said the organization was trying to harm X and even talked about taking legal action against them.
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Now, under their new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, X is trying to fix things. They’re taking down accounts linked to Hamas and changing their policies to promote more trusted sources. But many feel that these steps might not be enough to fix the damage that’s been done.
