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Think. Again.

(22,330 posts)
Sun Mar 9, 2025, 06:07 PM Mar 9

A plea to the Admins to block "X" post embedding...

I have noticed a constant slew of short, non-important, purely entertainment "X"-sourced videos posted numerous times a day.

Perhaps it's because I do not use the desktop version and only view DU on my phone or tablet as many others, both members and not, but I can not tell when a post contains an embedded X link (I see no colored boxes in the post titles) which opens immediately (and benefits musk financially) as soon as I open a post with an interesting title but no "X" warning in the title.

I know that quite a few of use are concerned about empowering musk in this way, and in light of our rule not to post rightwing sources (I believe it's clear a media company owned by musk is a rightwing source) I am hoping the DU Admins will consider stopping the automatic embedding of musk's "X", so that we can make a choice whether to continue to enrich musk or to pass on opening any "X" links.

Thanks for reading this.

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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A plea to the Admins to block "X" post embedding... (Original Post) Think. Again. Mar 9 OP
I'm in the minority on this, but I've always hated "link to tweet" posts Orrex Mar 9 #1
I agree, but at least the "link to tweet" option doesn't force the tweet to open ... Think. Again. Mar 9 #2
I'm with you on this, Orrex SheltieLover Mar 9 #4
I second the motion BoRaGard Mar 9 #3
And since xitter is so toxic in general, we'd be better off without it dickthegrouch Mar 9 #5
I like this idea. mzmolly Mar 9 #6
X is not "a rightwing source" - it's a social media platform still used by many Democrats including highplainsdem Mar 9 #7
I disagree, a media platform owned by musk is certainly a rightwing-owned media platform. Think. Again. Mar 10 #8
You changed your wording from "a rightwing source" to "a rightwing-owned source" - and I'll agree with highplainsdem Mar 10 #9
I disagree with a lotof what you wrote... Think. Again. Mar 10 #10
Sigh. A lot of news stories embed tweets just the way DU does. They're not all screenshots. highplainsdem Mar 10 #11
I still feel that a lot of us would prefer not to enable musk. Think. Again. Mar 10 #12
You're not in any way enabling him by being able to see tweets here. Neither is Mark Kelly or any other highplainsdem Mar 10 #13
I disagree.... Think. Again. Mar 10 #14
And I'm explaining that if you want to inconvenience Musk, as a liberal, you accomplish more staying highplainsdem Mar 10 #15
I believe some of us would prefer not to empower Musk by opening "X" posts. Think. Again. Mar 10 #16
This message was self-deleted by its author highplainsdem Mar 10 #17
You're obviously going to cling to your beliefs about this no matter what. Thank God other Democrats, with highplainsdem Mar 10 #18
Yes, I do try to keep my discussions on topic. Think. Again. Mar 11 #19

Orrex

(64,930 posts)
1. I'm in the minority on this, but I've always hated "link to tweet" posts
Sun Mar 9, 2025, 06:11 PM
Mar 9

The vast majority are simply reposts of someone else's idea with no additional commentary or insight by the DUer, and seemingly serving no purpose other than to pad the DUer's post-count.

Think. Again.

(22,330 posts)
2. I agree, but at least the "link to tweet" option doesn't force the tweet to open ...
Sun Mar 9, 2025, 06:15 PM
Mar 9

...whether we choose to open it or not, as the embedded "X" does.

highplainsdem

(55,090 posts)
7. X is not "a rightwing source" - it's a social media platform still used by many Democrats including
Sun Mar 9, 2025, 10:49 PM
Mar 9

our lawmakers.

See this

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220121402

for an important thread from Mark Kelly about Ukraine that he posted on X. Not on Bluesky, though he has an account there.

Think. Again.

(22,330 posts)
8. I disagree, a media platform owned by musk is certainly a rightwing-owned media platform.
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 04:47 AM
Mar 10

And thank you for not posting Mark Kelly's posts directly from "X" and using the non-"X" threadreader instead, that shows that we will not lose any important information by avoiding giving musk's "X" any clicks.

highplainsdem

(55,090 posts)
9. You changed your wording from "a rightwing source" to "a rightwing-owned source" - and I'll agree with
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 09:32 AM
Mar 10

that changed wording. The fact that Mark Kelly is NOT a rightwing source doesn't change. As long as X provides important news and worthwhile commentary or entertaining tweets that can't be found elsewhere, I'll continue to post about tweets.

You're likely to find embedded tweets in news stories, too, including from news sites very disapproving of Musk and his politics, and they use those tweets for the same reasons I do. Maybe you should contact all of those sites and demand that they never embed tweets. They'll embed Instagram posts, too, and Zuckerberg is backing Trump, so you could try starting a crusade against that, even if the Instagram posts come from liberal sources. But they'll continue to understand there are good reasons for embedding those posts.

I used the Threadreader link because it was handy, saved time, and was easier for DU readers because you have to be logged in to Twitter to see later posts in a thread without a direct link. I'll post tweets otherwise. I do use Bluesky posts much of the time when a Twitter user is on both platforms and has posted a message on both, but if it hasn't shown up yet on Bluesky I'll post the tweet, because many people on both sites post more onTwitter. They usually have many more followers on Twitter.

And Bluesky is not as internet-friendly as Twitter, both because posts there don't appear as anything but links here and may never be anything but links here, and because those links open very slowly compared to any other sites I visit. I've had complaints that Bluesky links go to a blank page, simply because it looks that way at first.

The one advantage Bluesky has over Twitter in terms of accessibility from other sites is that you can read both later posts in a thread and replies to that thread if you click on a link for a Bluesky post, even if you aren't logged in to Bluesky. Which used to be possible with Twitter, but now requires being logged in.

Bluesky also gathers data. And I've seen posts questioning the money behind Bluesky. I would not bet on Bluesky still having the same ownership in a few years or continuing to show a pro-liberal bias unless it's bought by a lifelong liberal.

Musk loses money on Twitter, unless you subscribe or click on ads. I'm still hoping he'll lose control of it. I'd guess that many of the liberals continuing to post on it are hoping the same.

Think. Again.

(22,330 posts)
10. I disagree with a lotof what you wrote...
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 11:07 AM
Mar 10

IE: a rightwing-owned source IS a rightwing source, Kelly is not who I disagree with, musk is, musk DOES get to charge more according to higher view counts, etc.

Copy/pasted images of "X" tweets in news stories are not "clicks"

Also, I didn't mention BlueSky, I only want to have the CHOICE not to automatically open "X" links (which increases Musk's view counts, therefore his profits) when opening an unlabeled post on DU.

highplainsdem

(55,090 posts)
11. Sigh. A lot of news stories embed tweets just the way DU does. They're not all screenshots.
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 11:29 AM
Mar 10

And if you think a DU post with hundreds or even a few thousand views makes any difference in what Musk earns from Twitter, think again.

Embedding tweets here saves people time, just as embedding YouTube videos does. That's why it was done in the first place.

highplainsdem

(55,090 posts)
13. You're not in any way enabling him by being able to see tweets here. Neither is Mark Kelly or any other
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 12:16 PM
Mar 10

liberal on Twitter.

What they're doing is taking a stand against him, by NOT surrendering the largest social media platform of its kind to only rightwing voices.

Musk and other RWers would love to see liberals scattered to much smaller platforms.

I'm glad Bluesky is growing, but it has a long way to go to catch up with Twitter.

And as I said, questions have been raised about the money behind it.

See this from Dave Troy:

https://bsky.app/profile/davetroy.com/post/3lbkusd5idc2s

https://america2.news/without-sky-social-media-and-the-end-of-reality/

Without Sky: Social Media and the End of Reality
People are flocking to Bluesky in droves, but creators and users should think critically about the risk of capture by potentially hostile investors.

Dave Troy
Nov 22, 2024

Think. Again.

(22,330 posts)
14. I disagree....
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 01:59 PM
Mar 10

As I mentioned, every "click" that "X" receives when an embedded tweet opens automatically on DU counts toward the total "clicks" X uses to raise their advertising pricing.

Each click directly benefits musk.

And again, I did not mention BlueSky, I am talking about Musk's "X" business.

highplainsdem

(55,090 posts)
15. And I'm explaining that if you want to inconvenience Musk, as a liberal, you accomplish more staying
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 02:32 PM
Mar 10

on Twitter and posting liberal messages and supporting others who do the same.

How many times do you need it repeated that Musk loses money with Twitter? That it costs him money when you use it and don't subscribe and don't click on ads?

He's been losing so much money that he just notified his relatively scarce Premium+ users that their monthly price is going from $30 to $50.

Response to Think. Again. (Reply #16)

highplainsdem

(55,090 posts)
18. You're obviously going to cling to your beliefs about this no matter what. Thank God other Democrats, with
Mon Mar 10, 2025, 05:11 PM
Mar 10

Mark Kelly being a prime example, have a better understanding of how to best deal with Musk owning Twitter.

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