X rolls out new ad format that can't be reported, blocked
The new ads also don't disclose who the advertiser is or that they are even ads.
So on one hand they're cluttering user feeds with the spammiest, scammiest ads they can and on the other hand they're rolling out paid subscriptions to remove ads.
Cause a problem; sell the solution. Transparent scumbags.
Didn't they also remove some of the things that indicated a post was "sponsored" or whatever?
The author of the article determined that these ads are coming from the trashy ad networks that brought you such classic clickbait ads as "Doctors hate this one weird trick" and "[Current President] has slashed auto insurance rates in [your state], here's how" that you see at the bottom of low quality news articles. So, it's not just that X has spam ads, but they aren't even directly selling them, which the article summarizes is a sign of desperation to get any ads, no matter how shit in quality, no matter how low paying to X they are, on the platform. At least the low tier news sites have the decency to identify them as ads and label the ad networks that is putting them up.
Well on our way to All-Despising Baby Skull
I despise Twitter's leadership as much as the rest, but increasing ads is not at all a "cause a problem" situation Twitter doesn't owe you ad-free usage of their platform. So no, not a scam/scummy behaviour, just bad value.
And you don't owe Twitter your patronage. So just move on from it.
increasing ads is not at all a “cause a problem” situation
Tech executives would disagree with you - creating a problem that users have to buy their way out of is one of the most popular business models going at the moment. The mobile gaming industry, for example, is basically $140B worth of intentionally created frustration.
There's been so much written about this obviously scummy practice. It's everywhere.
It's either naive or disingenuous to suggest they're not obviously trying to annoy cash out of people.
It's my bandwidth. If I don't want to use it to download ads, I don't have to.
They are allowed to try and monetize in various ways, but there are still ethical standards that are just consistently not followed in online advertising (like doing due-diligence to make sure the company advertising isn't some sort of transparent scam). But this change seems to be stepping away from one of the standards that is actually a legal mandate, properly labeling adverts and sponsored content as such.
The easiest way to block these ads is to stop using X.
It’s a simple spell, but quite unbreakable
And yet, my friends keep linking me to X.com even though I told them not to send me porn unless it's really really good!
How much would it cost to show 2girls1cup as umskipable ad to musk fanboys? Asking for a friend...
That would be...
... priceles.
the new ad format also doesn't disclose … that it is even an advertisement at all.
Well, that's clearly illegal in most places. Ads have to be somehow identifyable as ads, because of misinformation (ads lie, who thought?). Just wait for the court case.
Im starting to think that is their game, doing whatever is illegal until caught by a court of law, and then find ways to do it without getting caught.
Or the fine is so small it's just a "cost of doing business"
Well they clearly aren't normal posts, so I guess they're obviously ads?
Also Twitter is one man who hates laws now, so most places might need to see about enforcing that.
It blows my mind that there are people dumb enough to remain on that shit platform. There’s no excuses. If you remain, you’re in support of that trash.
You preaching to the choir buddy.
that's lemmys specialty
the linux bros have to talk to the choir nobody else wants to talk to them
Many people will cry about Musk ruining the only place on the internet to get news and stay current
Like give me a fucking break lol, that was never the case and it sure as hell ain’t the case now. These morons are so sure he bought it just to kill it, as if that’s some great loss.
Fucking losers, it’s a shit slice of social media, walk away ffs. Twitter is not now nor has ever been special.
Where do I go for hyperlocal updates from advocates in my area in subjects I'm engaged in? How do I get the word out about the projects I'm working on in those subjects? Calling me a fucking loser for staying somewhere that's the only place to do some things is not going to accomplish anything but make me think you don't know what you're talking about.
Twitter was absolutely special when it came out. It was the first (or at the very least first successful) social media designed for mobile use. It also had large effects on how people thought about and used social media, and had big impacts on the ways various companies and people interact on social media.
I've never particularly cared about twitter personally, I used it a handful of times here and there, and I agree that currently and for a while it's been a pretty shit slice of social media. But saying it was never special is a stretch at best.
I used to use the excuse of using Twitter to get my news, but I gave up after the rebranding. Now I just go to the news organizations' websites.
I've asked for a compelling reason to leave many times before, and so far people have failed to provide me one, but since you're so smart, lets hear it it then.
EDIT: Downvote if you can't come up with a good reason
These are only eleven reasons. I have many more, some personal and some universal. If at all possible, get off of Twitter.
The lax restrictions on nazi speech. It’s now part of the platform. The platform tacitly endorses hatred. Your attention legitimizes the platform and the nazis. It’s time to walk away, you have a moral obligation.
I get it you have an addiction to the website. We need to start talking about social media addiction without sneering. It’s a dopamine release machine and we are big stupid apes. I’m here on lemmy because it is like methadone to get me off Reddit.
Easy enough, just add '*.twitter.com' to your blocklist.
I've already filtered them out from searches. Might as well do this as well.
Ads can either be identified and blocked, or they are so hidden that the FTC gets involved.
This is a no-win situation for Twitter.
Also it sounds like a great way for malware distributors to be unidentifiable and Musks little shitshow to take the full criminal responsibility instead.
Can't see ads if you don't use Twitter
Can't see ads on twitter :/
Don' start nothin' Won't be nothin'
I'm not gonna risk my computer by turning off my ad blocker, but I wonder if that article comes with exactly the kind of chumbox ads that they're rightfully criticizing.
Why do people keep calling it "X" so cringe.
The Twitter brand was one of the only things of actual value at that company. If Elon wants to shoot himself in the dick, I’m not going to stop that moron. X it is. I will GLADLY not call this product Twitter.
I should probably close my account over there, but then I'd have to log in.
Decisions, decisions.
Yeah every day is a little too often for me to want to hear about Elon and Twitter, honestly. Even the schadenfreude isn’t that important to me.
Have you met @AcidBurn yet?
Shit, now I'm mad I didn't get @CerealKiller
Isn't this against Apple and Google app stores terms?
no? since when were they anti ad?
Well, now we know why they removed headlines from the article cards.
"can't [yet] be blocked" This is the claim of every new advertiser platform. Looking forward to it being blocked (and not because I'm on X, just because I'm excited to see them burn).
When they say "can't be blocked" I presume they mean "can't be blocked with the block function in X/Twitter". They also say it can't be liked or retweeted.
So far ads have been treated as sort-of regular posts that are just shown according to the ad rules rather than because they belong in the timeline under normal criteria, and you could like, retweet and block them just like any other post.
So this is basically them treating ads as a fully separate thing rather than just a different post type.
Though the article suggests they'll still try to make them look mostly like posts, except without showing a handle etc. though, which is extra scummy
Can't wait to have an AI based ads remover that rewrites the page HTML and removes all ads.
The FTC would like to have a word. At least they have a spine.
Ads have gotten way worse in quality. I keep seeing stuff that makes Temu look like top tier. Recently community notes jhave added context noting these adverts are for dropshipping services and there is no guarantee you will get the advertised product.
That and so many funking places wanting my email to send me top tips on life, money, crypto or w.e.
I'm genuinely glad when I see a normal funking advert for pizza or a charity or a film, there's something happening with that dicaprio guy and scorsee director.
Bold claim, that. Don't underestimate my unwillingness to watch ads
Seems like Elon is trying to accelerate the collapse of his $44B boat anchor
It's not collapsing fast enough. Bluesky and threads are both pretty dead. The userbase just doesn't leave, no matter what happens.
..just like with this place... :P
Wonder what the FTC, and the ASA in the UK are gonna do. Pretty sure not disclosing the advertisement breaks their guidelines.
still ain't working on me. f that nazi in charge
I'm only really there for porn nowadays. Deleted my regular account.
How is it compared to just browsing booru-like sites, or video sites?
I can follow specific people instead, so that's a plus for me, as opposed to I assume having to pay for this function in most other websites. (Although if X starts asking for money with a subscription I will certainly drop it)
Existence on Twitter just feels like hell on earth at this point, like beyond the Facebook critical mass/"they won't try anything else out"-esque line of reasoning staying there just comes across like some admission of masochism or something.
Example 4489754 of the enshittification of the internet.
Anyway
Control Panel for Twitter users:
What's a "For you Feed?"
Circling the drain.
Doesn't Youtube do this, at least with shorts?
I'm tired of seeing ads on "how you can make 15$ watching one video and earning 20k in a month doing almost nothing" and I can't find a way to report it.
Ive yet to see one in my feeds
Same here. As is the case with every other type of ad aswell. I'm not even seeing the extremist right-wing content it's supposedly trying to push me aswell. In reality what it is pushing to me is cat videos and no matter how many accounts I block there's infinite supply of those accounts.
It doesn’t bother me, it’s a free product and I expect ads. I only use it for sports news.
