In yet another surprising move, Elon Musk has announced the removal of the “Block” feature from X, formerly known as Twitter. Since the taking over of Twitter last year, Musk has introduced numerous changes to the platform, which have both surprised many users and drew a significant amount of criticism.
Elon Musk announced in an X post that the block feature will no longer be available on the platform, except for Direct Messages(DMs). Musk had previously hinted at the removal of the block feature on the social media site, stating that it “makes no sense”. He suggested that, instead of blocking users on the platform, muting them is a preferable option, as the Muting feature remains accessible on the microblogging site.
Block is going to be deleted as a “feature”, except for DMs
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2023
The Block feature is crucial on any social media platform, as it enables users to mitigate harassment and filter out hateful content they do not wish to see. It serves as a tool for users to eliminate unwanted posts from their feeds, as well as to protect their privacy.
Some individuals swiftly pointed out Elon Musk’s own use of this feature, as he frequently blocks other users on the platform.
Furthermore, according to a report from CNBC, certain users block or filter out posts from advertisers that they do not want to see. This practice of blocking posts from advertisers has gained considerable attention on the platform and is potentially impacting the financials of X. This could be one of the reasons behind Elon Musk’s decision to remove the block feature from the platform that was acquired last year.
In addition to facing criticism from users, X will also encounter scrutiny from both Apple and Google. Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store have policies that require every app with public consent to incorporate a block feature. Elon Musk’s recent announcement may place X in a difficult situation.
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter for a staggering $44 billion last October, there have been numerous changes to the platform. One of the most significant changes is the rebranding of the platform to X in the last month. Another noteworthy alteration is the placement of the verified option(blue tick) behind a paywall. Users now need to subscribe monthly to attain the blue tick, a shift that has led to several fake accounts of well-known brands and personalities, obtaining the verified badge by paying a nominal fee to the platform.
Elon Musk also revealed that the platform will default to a dark mode, with users who prefer the light mode need to manually enable it. Additionally, Musk discontinued the free API on the platform, resulting in disruptions for many third-party apps.
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