I’m not going to lie to you, I’m one of those people who take it very badly that Elon Musk is in charge of Twitter. And it is not an unfounded discomfort, it is that since his arrival the social network that I loved so much has become an app full of hate and misinformation.
The $44 billion purchase of Twitter may be the worst investment in recent history, with the company worth less than half that today. But that doesn’t seem to matter to Elon Musk. He has other plans for Twitter…now X.
And while he’s on his way to making that transformation from social network to total app (or demise, depending on how you look at it), we’re going to focus on all those things we’ve lost along the way.
Five things you can’t do on X that you could do on Twitter
1. You cannot view the social network without logging in
In the past, anyone could afford to browse Twitter without logging in or being a registered user.
Now, if you want to browse the social media platform, you have no choice but to log in to a Twitter account.
2. Blue check is no longer equal to status
As we said at the time, the blue check has gone from a status symbol to a badge of shame.
The blue check once authenticated influential accounts and high-profile figures, but now, Musk has eroded its value. Anyone can acquire a blue check by subscribing to X Premium. However, it will cost you €15 a month at the time of writing.
3. The headlines are removed from the links.
Now, when you enter a link in your tweet (e.g., an article), the headline will not be displayed. The Verge has a very nice “before and after” photo illustrating this frustrating new feature.
Musk, demonstrating his aptitude for crushing it in spelling contests, tweeted that he made this change to “improve aesthetics [sic].”
4. You have to wait longer to open competitor links.
An analysis by The Markup found that X is throttling traffic from competitors, including Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Substack.
This report is not surprising considering the fact that Musk briefly banned links from Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon and other rivals in December 2022.
5. PlayStation and Xbox gamers lose Twitter integration
Access to Twitter’s API used to be free, but as we reported in March, Musk is now pricing it out: its cheapest package costs a whopping $42,000 per month.
As a result, gaming platforms like Microsoft and Sony are ending their integrations with X. In other words, gamers can no longer share their video game screenshots directly with Twitter / X.
