X’s Strategy to Throttle Links to Competing Platforms and News Publishers

Recent findings suggest that X, a prominent social media platform, is deliberately slowing down links to platforms it deems as competition. Investigations highlight that users of Patreon, WhatsApp, and Messenger experience significant delays when accessing these platforms through links on X.

Based on an analysis by The Markup, links to platforms like Patreon, WhatsApp, and occasionally, Meta’s Messenger app, take an average of 2.5 seconds longer to load. While this might seem insignificant, for regular users, this delay can be impactful. The primary suspicion is that X aims to deter users from migrating to these platforms. Since X has similar features or might be launching competing features, it appears to be a tactic to retain users on its platform.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Earlier in the year, X allegedly throttled links to other competitive platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Substack. Additionally, mainstream media outlets like The New York Times and Reuters experienced delayed load times, especially those that faced criticism in posts by Elon Musk, a significant influencer in the tech world.

Surprisingly, internal notes within X’s open-source code hint that any mention or links to rival platforms can lead to “de-boosting”.

Following Musk’s lead role in X, there was an evident restriction on promoting other social platforms. This extended to using link aggregators like linktr.ee and lnk.bio, typically used to redirect traffic to various sites. For Musk, giving rivals undue advantage on his platform seemed counterintuitive, especially as he is known for not endorsing his competitors.

With plans to introduce its version of Substack for long-form content, X’s strategies appear to be centered on monopolizing user attention and keeping them within its ecosystem, sidelining any external competition.

But is this strategy foolproof?

Traditionally, social platforms were more open and inclusive. While X’s previous counterpart, Twitter, enjoyed immense popularity, it wasn’t necessarily a profitable venture. In this context, X’s distinct approach might be its attempt to carve a more profitable niche. However, there’s a risk involved. Many content creators and journalists use platforms like X to share their work and redirect traffic to their sites. Restricting this might lead to a drop in X’s user engagement.

Drawing inspiration from the “everything app” concept prevalent in China, X seems to be aiming for a holistic ecosystem. But its success hinges on its indispensability among users. Merely restricting external links might not be the best strategy to alter user behavior. Instead, it might push influential user segments to explore alternatives.

Time will only tell whether X’s approach, seemingly driven more by rivalry than business acumen, will pay off or backfire as they continue to limit access to specific platforms and websites.